Mass Effect: The Requiem Saga: Genesis
by Weskron
Summary: When a fan of Mass Effect is shot into The Mass Effect Universe and becomes Shepard in 2183, the new Shepard must realize his destiny and his place in this new universe before it is too late. Follow Samuel Shepard as he falls in love, makes enemies, and saves the Galaxy during his rise as a Hero and the beginning/Part 1 of The Requiem Saga. (Takes Place During The First Game)
1. SEASON 1 PILOT: Chapter 1: A New World

Mass Effect: The Requiem Saga: Genesis.  
Volume 1.  
Chapter 1.

**Season 1: Part 1 of the Requiem Saga – Genesis**

_Commander Samuel Shepard. _

_Odd. Eccentric. Shy. Self-Conscious. Young. Naïve. Brave. Strong. Fearless. Indomitable._

_All those words have been used to describe me._

_Yeah, that's me. Commander Sam Shepard. But… my story is an odd one. Not the one you might know._

_My name, in fact, is not even Commander Shepard. No, that was a name that people started calling me when I came to the Mass Effect Universe. But I have become Shepard. So my old name doesn't and won't really matter. You will know me as Shepard._

_I came from a universe where Commander Shepard was my favorite video game character. I played and went through every game as renegade and paragon, went through a variety of romances, and loved every bit of it. Hell, I met my first serious girlfriend through Mass Effect._

_But after… a confusing and depressing day, I was in an accident on the road. A device fell out of a truck and I was shocked with a blue energy. After that… I found myself in a different place. One very similar to the world I knew through my TV Screen but different in so many ways too._

_I found this world is not as easy to approach with a paragon or renegade attitude, as much as the game made it look. This world is dark and confusing. Filled with love and happiness. Built with sadness and attrition. So much has changed since I came here. So much._

_This may be my story, but in many ways, it's not. It's everyone's story. But, at least for now…_

_I'm Commander Shepard. And this is my story._

**BRIIINNGGGG! BRRRIINNNGG! BRRIIINNGGGGG!**

?: RISE AND SHINE, GENTLEMEN!

I hear a loud voice screaming for people to get up. But… I don't recognize it. It belongs to an older man, you can hear it, but it doesn't sound like my Dad.

Older Man: DID YOU HEAR ME, MAGGOT? GET YOUR ASS UP!

I felt the presence of someone standing right over me and my eyes fluttered open to see an older man with a buzzcut and a military uniform yelling at me. And upon realization of that, I realized some other things. This wasn't my room. My room is small enough, with a skyblue paint finish.

"Hrgh?"

I grunted and felt around. This wasn't my bed. My bed was soft and spongy with black and brown sheets; this one was hard and springy with white sheets.

Older Man: DID A RACHNI CRAWL IN YOUR HEAD AND DIE, SOLDIER? GET YOUR FUCKING DUMBASS UP BEFORE I RIP YOUR HEAD OFF!

I groggily sprung to my feet and surveyed the room. There were five other men in the room next to their beds, excluding the older man. They were trying not to stare.

Older Man: Lieutenant, I swear to God, if I have to raise my voice like that one more goddamn time, I swear, I will be throwing you into the airlock. Do I make myself clear?

I stared at him. I didn't know who he was. And I sure as hell wasn't a Lieutenant. This wasn't my room. I didn't know these people, but they all seemed to be… familiar with me. I looked at the older man's nametag on his clothing. Colonel Marcus Hackett.

Hackett? I knew that name… it was from that game, Mass Effect. Captain Daniel Hackett. Probably not of any relation, since, ya know, he's from a video game, but he did look a little like him. But still different, younger, and without the scar. He looked like… a little brother.

Daniel Hackett: Do. I. Make. Myself. Clear?

I answered with what I thought was appropriate. I straightened myself up, stared straight ahead as if I was in a war movie, and yelled…

"Sir Yes Sir!"

Daniel shook his head and turned away from me, standing at the middle of the room.

Daniel Hackett: Lieutenant Shepard is your bad example of the day, gentlemen. Now get your asses to The Briefing Room on the CIC.

Shepard? What?

The whole room nodded and yelled 'Sir Yes Sir!' before he left the room. Everyone relaxed and began to get into new pairs of clothes. A soldier touched me with his hand.

Soldier: Hey Shep. Didn't get much sleep, did you?

Why is everyone calling me Shepard? My name's not Shepard.

"What?"

Soldier: Pahaha! You were hitting up The Drunken Varren last night, weren't you?

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Soldier: Uhuh. Sure you don't. But seriously, let's head upstairs. Get your blues on.

The soldier began to walk away.

"No but seriously, I don't get what… dude I… okay. See ya."

I watched as everyone else began to get dressed in new clothes. It reminded me of gym class. I looked around and saw that they were reaching into lockers behind their bunks. I looked behind my bed to see a locker of my own.

"Hm…"

I open my locker and I see three pairs of clothes that I recognize as well. These are the usual uniforms that you get in Mass Effect 3. The default version.

"What the fuck is going on…?"

This is not a dream. I'm not that much of an idiot. You can't feel like this in dreams. You don't get disoriented like this. Hell, you don't even realize it's a dream. All of this is… real in some way.

I grabbed the uniform and began to peel my clothes off, changing into my 'blues' as that guy called it. But I stopped as I began to change and looked at my body. Muscular. I had the physique of a soldier. And the blues? The nametag said…

'Commander Samuel Shepard'

Samuel is my real name. Shepard is not.

What in fucking hell is going on?

I finally fully changed, feeling a bit odd in the uniform. And just as I was getting accustomed, the last soldier was heading out of the room. The guy I was talking to earlier. I decided it'd be a great time to follow him.

"What's going on…?"

The soldier turned to me and I saw his nametag. Junior Murphy.

"Uh… Junior?"

Junior: Hey Shep. Not really sure, but it might have to do with the radio chatter.

"Radio chatter?"

Junior: Heh. Still out of it? Well, if you recall, we've been getting some reports of radio chatter going on in the forests outside of Elysium.

What have I gotten myself into? Elysium? Is this… this couldn't be…

"Oh. Do we know from who?"

Junior: Nah. Some say it's Batarian, but I think that's stupid.

"Pffh. Batarian. Right."

This guy must be a Mass Effect fan too.

Junior: You think it's stupid too, huh?

"Well… yeah, who wouldn't?"

Junior: Well, some of the boys have been saying the Turians around here have picked up its Batarian.

"Turians…?"

Junior: Yeah. Don't know if that's legit though.

Holy shit. Turians? Batarians? Elysium? Mass Effect Soldier Uniforms? Hackett? People are calling me Shepard?

I'm in The Mass Effect Universe. And I'm Commander Shepard. Or… Lieutenant Shepard now.

Junior: Shep?

I realized I had stopped in my tracks as I realized where I was.

Junior: You all right?

"Ah… yeah. Yeah I think I'll… be okay…"

Junior: Uhuh. All right, come on, let's get into the elevator.

The two of us head into the elevator and I'm ready to throw up. How is this even possible? How did this happen? It has to be a dream but it isn't!

Okay… all right… think this through. What happened lately that could even somehow justify this?

I remember… I remember heading home one day. And there was a crash. Something fell out and I tried to pick it up but… damn it, it all goes black then. I just remember being shocked by an energy and feeling like I was disappearing.

Maybe I was. I don't know.

Junior: Think you'll be okay today?

"Huh?"

Junior: You look sick. How hard did you go last night?

"I… I don't know. I really don't."

Junior: Huh. Must've been damn hard then. Don't worry, stick next to me, you'll be good. I think we'll finally be getting some action today.

I nodded and followed him out of the elevator through a command room. Its layout was different from what I remember, but the technology remained the same. The next thing I know, I'm standing in a briefing room with about twenty other soldiers, and Daniel Hackett is entering the room.

Daniel Hackett: Hello gentlemen. I have some good news. You're all on leave as of now.

Junior: What?

Daniel Hackett: Yep. It's been a long time since you guys got some time to settle down, I figured now was a great time. We're on Elysium and all; it's said to be one of the crown jewels of The Alliance and all that, right?

The Captain clears his throat.

Daniel Hackett: Well, you're excused. Have fun, gentlemen. You have four days, so the rest of the long weekend.

We all say our goodbyes and walk out of the room.

"Didn't we get reports of chatter? Shouldn't we just… I'unno, stay here?"

Junior: I'm a bit confused too. This… shouldn't happen. At least not now. But… I guess we could use the time.

"Huh."

Junior: Well… I might head to The Drunken Varren and get a few beers. A couple of the guys will probably be there. Wanna join me?

"Ah… I'll tag along."

I don't really drink all too much or often, but, I don't know where I am, where anything is, and don't want to get in trouble or in people's way, and this guy seems to know me or… Shepard… well enough to hang out with him. Might as well.

Junior: Cool. Let's go then.

I follow close behind, still feeling sick. I can barely keep up with what's happening. I was just dropped into this world and I don't know what the hell is going on. And it doesn't seem like it'll change. I guess… this is me now?

Ugh. I can't think about this right now. I'm just going to go to a bar for a little while.

But I guess, for now, whether I like it or not, I'm Sam Shepard.

Eeesh.

To Be Continued….

* * *

_Hey guys!_

_So! I decided something in my absence..._

_The original Mass Effect: Requiem that a lot of you love was written with this sort of thing in mind, with all these events having happened in the past. But I wanted to elaborate on every single event that goes on before Mass Effect: Requiem before continuing with the story._

_I will admit now that I will take some liberties in the story, which you can see here. I've now made The Skyllian Blitz take place in 2183 instead of 2176._

_The Requiem Saga will cover all three games with stories in-between them and during them that are completely original. It will follow Samuel Shepard as he rises to become a hero and goes up against the greatest threat The Galaxy has ever known. Shepard's dialogue will be completely written by me, while I'll try to stick as close as possible to the other character's dialogue by playing through the games myself as I'm writing this._

_However, as you can probably pick up, this first volume takes place in 2183, which, as I said before, I've now made The Skyllian Blitz take place during this year, the same year that Sam Shepard is assigned to The Normandy._

_I've also changed the narrative to follow a first-person view instead of the old third person that I had previously used to make it a whole lot more personal. I will follow this first-person view from now on. Sorry if you're not a fan of it._

_And, to explain the fan being sent to this universe thing, well, I wrote Mass Effect: Requiem and tried to put myself in Shepard's shoes as every event unfolded. After a while, I started thinking that Commander Shepard was basically just me. So I decided to literally put a fan of Mass Effect into Shepard's shoes to see where it goes. So that's the basis of this story._

_I hope you guys enjoy this series!_

_-Wesky._


	2. Chapter 2: At Least For Now

**Mass Effect: The Requiem Saga: Genesis.  
****Volume 1.  
****Chapter 2.**

Bartender: Hey guys. Some of your friends are here already.

I walked into The Drunken Varren, a bar pretty close to the Alliance base in Elysium with Junior Murphy, a soldier I had just met today.

In case you didn't know, I'll give you a quick recap.

For some reason, I've been sent into a new universe, this universe happening to be The Mass Effect Universe, where I'm now taking the place of Commander Shepard. And now I'm in The Skyllian Blitz. Yeah. Seriously. I'm not joking,

Junior: Thanks, man. Shep, let's go sit down.

I followed Junior to a booth where several other soldiers were drinking. We both took chairs and sat at the end of the table, being greeted with some fist pounds.

I looked at a soldier who started talking to me, his nametag said Jervis.

Jervis: So, Shep, what's been going on with that Asari girl who you've been hanging out with.

"Hm?"

You know, now that he mentioned it, I remembered seeing an Asari giving me eyes when I was walking here, and Junior smirked at me when I looked at her.

"Oh. Uh… not much. I don't think."

Junior: Come on, you've been with her whenever you get the chance.

Jervis: You lay her yet, my man?

"What?"

Jervis: You totally have. Look at 'im!

Did I? I mean, well, did Shepard? I don't… I don't' think he did. Well, even if he did, I… well… I've never even had sex before. Like, I've been close once, but never actually done the deed.

Junior: I'unno. He looks like he's telling the truth.

Jervis: Eh. He might be.

Soldier: Oh leave him alone.

I looked at Jervis. He has an accent. Sounds Canadian. The soldier sitting next to him was named Mark. The soldier who spoke up was a girl named Liz.

Liz: Shep's telling the truth. He still looks…

Jervis: Like a virgin?

Liz: Kinda.

"I… erh…"

I didn't know how to keep up with these guys. They were all so familiar with each other. And they expect me to be like that too, even though I've known them for maybe a few minutes. Junior for probably an hour or so.

Liz: Junior, you hear anything about that radio chatter?

Junior: That you don't already know? Don't think so.

Jervis: Only thing I've heard is that The Turians are looking into it more and more.

Liz: How bout you, Shep?

I shook my head.

Liz: Hm. Damn.

The bartender walks over and hands everyone beers.

Bartender: I'm assuming Shepard's paying?

"Huh? I…"

Mark raises his hand slightly.

Mark: Me, tonight.

I immediately noticed that Mark has a thick Irish accent. The bartender grunts.

Bartender: Right.

The bartender walks away.

"You don't usually pay?"

Mark: Well, judging how we've left you the check the last couple times, it's only fair we took the check sometimes.

Jervis: Says you.

"Thanks."

Mark: Don't mention it.

I didn't drink, but the four of them drank and drank, talking along until two of them were asleep and the other two were close. It gave me time to think. And that's something I desperately needed.

I'm in another universe. There's no other thing it could possibly be. Really. It's so hard to think about. I'm Commander Shepard now.

How does one even go back to their own reality? I want to go talk to my family again. I want to meet up with my friends. I don't want this to be it for me.

The next thing I felt was a hand on my shoulder.

"Huh?"

Liz: Shep, wha's wrong?

Liz was very drunk, but she was still mindful enough to ask me what's going on. I must not be hiding my concern or confusement well.

"Ah, nothing much, really."

Liz: You sure?

I chuckled.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Liz: I'unno man, I've heard some crazy shit.

"I can tell."

Liz: Bu… but you should head back to the base. Get a nap and a shower or something. I'll take care of these guys.

"You sure?"

Liz: I can handle 'em. Go.

"Thanks. I'll see you there."

Liz: Mmhm.

I stood up and walked out, waving goodbye to the bartender. I caught a glimpse of Liz shaking one of the guys awake.

I tried remembering the path back to the base and was successful. I headed straight for the bed, hoping it was the right one and I wasn't sleeping in someone else's.

I took my shirt off, laying back in the bed and looking at the ceiling. Maybe if I go to sleep, all of this will go away and I'll be back in my soft, cushy bed. All curled up.

I hope so.

**CHOOMPFH! CHOOMPFH! BRRRRRH-DOOOOM!**

"Hrhn…?"

**CHOOMPFH!**

Soldier: AAGH!

Female Soldier: No!

**CHOOMPFH!**

"Agh…"

I woke up to the smell of smoke.

Immediately, my eyes noted the darker atmosphere, the lights now flashing red.

"What's… wh…?"

I stood up groggily, seeing someone run into my room. It was someone I recognize. The girl from the bar.

"L-Liz…?"

I murmured her name as she locked eyes with me.

Liz: Shepard! Shepard, hid-

**CHOOMPFH!**

Liz flew forward after the sound of a buckshot echoed through the room. On instinct, I immediately crouched down, hiding behind the bed next to mine.

"Liz…!"

I whispered her name, crouching down under the bed and looking to see her at the end of the row of beds, gasping for air. I curved my head downwards some more and looked to see a massive hole in her back, blood now pouring out of it and her mouth.

"Ah… L-L…L…"

I've never… I've never seen a… oh god. I think I might throw up. Oh no. Ohh… oh no.

And I probably would've, but I heard footsteps.

"Hnh!"

I tried to slow down my breathing, but only succeeded in breathing quickly and softly. I curled up in what was sort of a fetal position, where, unfortunately, my eyes were pointed directly at Liz. And we locked gazes.

She was terrified. Anyone could tell. But she couldn't do anything about it. She was choking… oh God… she was choking on her own blood that was pouring out of her mouth.

I almost reached out a hand in helplessness, but then I saw something horrific. Someone had stepped over her and shot her again, this time in the head. Almost all of her face was blown off. It was so quick.

Oh God.

I heard a deep voice yell out something garbled to someone else. I recognized the kind of voice, it was distinctly Batarian. But I couldn't do much else other than identify the race. I was too busy trying to keep my food down and stay silent.

Batarian: Bartok?

More footsteps. Someone else had come into the room. A different, but similar voice came from whoever this Bartok was.

Bartok: Search the room. I'm heading up to the briefing room.

Batarian: Understood.

Bartok left the room and then the Batarian began to look through the room.

"Hhh…"

I tried to silence my breathing, but it was incredibly difficult. I wanted to hyperventilate. I wanted to throw up. I wanted to cry. But I couldn't.

Batarian: Hm?

Oh no. Oh God. Did he hear me?

The Batarian walked next to the bed I was hiding under. He walked a bit further and I slowly let a breath out.

Thank Go-

And then suddenly, the bed was ripped right off the ground and I came face to face with a Batarian who was holding a shotgun.

But then, a yellow flash came through my eyes and things slowed down. An… adrenaline rush? Oh. Right. I'm a soldier.

On instinct, I rolled to the side, seeing the Batarian pulling his shotgun at the ready. Hoping my new athletic body would serve me well, I tried my hand at doing a kip-up. I succeeded and stopped for a single instant, thinking on what to do next.

Batarian: Raagh!

The Batarian swung his shotgun to the side as the adrenaline rush wore off, striking me in the stomach.

"Oofh!"

I bounced back slightly, falling onto one knee as I grabbed my stomach. He leveled the shotgun at my head, but I shot back up to my feet, grabbed the barrel of the gun, pulled it away, and kneed the Batarian hard.

"Hyah!"

I brought my elbow of my free arm up and slammed it into the side of the Batarian's head. He stumbled to the side, allowing me to rip the gun from his hand.

Batarian: Agh!

The Batarian grabbed his head and looked at me as I readied the shotgun.

Batarian: Hrnh?

I faltered, not being able to pull the trigger out of fear. I've never killed anyone before. Anything. I… I…

Batarian: Ragh!

The Batarian lunged at me, hands outstretched. And it was over in an instant.

**CHOOMPFH!**

The Batarian's body flung back against one of the beds, then slumped to the ground. There was no other sounds other than, well, the blaring security alarm. I just breathed.

What had I done?

I fell to one knee, keeping my body up with the shotgun. Immediately, I hurled all over the floor.

I had killed someone.

I wiped my mouth.

I shot a man.

The taste in my mouth nearly made me throw up once more.

Half of his face is on the wall.

"I… I…"

I stood. I didn't have any more words for what had just happened. I just leaned over the Batarian's body.

He had several guns on him. An assault rifle, a pistol, and the shotgun I was now holding. Many heat clips.

I took the weapons and threw them on the bed, turning to what I was pretty sure was an armor locker at the end of the room. I walked up to it, logged into my profile, Lieutenant Shepard's, and they gave me my armor.

I grabbed the chest plate and gave it a long look.

N7.

That is me. I am humanity's finest. At least… for now.

I'm sorry, Liz. I never knew you. I wish I did.

I began to dress.

**To Be Continued…**


	3. Chapter 3: Silence

**Mass Effect: The Requiem Saga: Genesis.  
****Volume 1.  
****Chapter 3.**

I finished dressing in my N7 Armor and took a look at myself in a mirror near one of the bunks. I might look normal to others, but when I see myself? I just look out of place. I still don't understand why Shepard looks exactly like an in-shape version of me, but, it helps. I don't know how I'd react if I saw Default Shepard in the mirror.

"You look like a carnie."

I grumbled, finishing strapping the weapons to myself. It came to me surprisingly well, having never really shot a gun outside of a range when I was younger. And… well, I shot one before. Ugh.

?: Hey, has Keylok reported in yet?

"Shit."

I crouched down, hiding behind the bed for a moment as I heard two soldiers speaking probably a couple feet from the room I was in. I move out of my cover on the bed and hide next to the door, listening in.

Soldier: Check the room here, I'll check the one over there.

My eyes widen slightly as my mind races through options here. It's most likely that he's coming over to check this room. I could jump out and shoot them but judging how I've only had two experiences with a gun in my life and I'm facing two trained soldiers, I think I might be at disadvantage. Just maybe.

Then my eyes switched over to Liz's body. It's close. And… he wouldn't expect it. I clenched my eyes for a moment and whispered under my breath.

"Oh God. I'm sorry, Liz. I'm so sorry."

The Batarian Soldier walked closer and closer to the door, his gun at the ready. He heard a rustling in the room.

Soldier: Hm?

The Batarian Soldier took cover and counted to himself.

Soldier: One… Two… Thr-

As he bursted out of the cover, he is met with something large and heavy being thrown at him.

Soldier: Fuck!

The Soldier threw the heavy thing to the floor, looking at it to see a mangled woman's corpse.

Soldier: Wh-

And that was the last thing he ever thought. He was cut off because of a bullet to the head.

"Ah!"

Batarian: Huh? What's going– ARRGH!

The Batarian walked out of the room he was checking and immediately I shot him in the stomach.

Batarian: Goddammit… Gah!

I leveled the pistol and took another shot, this time striking him in the chest and throwing him to the floor.

"Holy shit."

That came unnaturally quickly to me. I knew exactly how to shoot. Maybe Shepard's… muscle memory or some shit is helping me out. Hopefully.

I kept the pistol down and rushed past the Batarian corpses, seeing the elevator is not being guarded.

"Fucking thank you…"

I let my guard down slightly as I move quickly to the door-

?: YARGH!

I barely knew what was going on, but I was being tackled from the side into the wall. Obviously a Batarian.

"Gah!"

He kicked the back of my knee, causing me to slide down onto one knee. He began to knee my shoulder and side, with the aim of just causing me pain.

Batarian: Human… piece of… shit!

And then he made a mistake, he threw a wide swinging left hook. Summoning what I remember from my self-defense classes as a kid. I grabbed his wrist and pulled it sharply so his face was closer to me, uppercutting him with my elbow.

Batarian: Urgh…

I rammed my shoulder into his knees, tripping him to the floor. And then I threw all my weight into a forearm attack across his face, slamming his head into the floor.

Batarian: Guhgh…

Then I threw a punch, all of my strikes and blows hitting their mark without any resistance. After a while, I realized I was hitting a dead body.

"I…"

I can't think about it now. I killed a man with my hands. That's all that happened. I need to keep going. I need to.

I got to my feet and pressed the elevator button a little harder than I needed to and the door opened. But then I stopped.

"They'll expect me to come through the elevator… it's not exactly subtle."

I searched the area for another way up and found a fire exit that had already been used. Probably by a soldier. No wonder the fire alarm is going off. I guess there's no harm in using it… but I do have the elevator open.

"Hm…"

~X~

Bartok the Batarian Pirate has nearly every Systems Alliance officer kneeling in front of him, their hands and feet tied behind their back. His men have their guns trained on them.

Bartok: Dogs.

Bartok turns from them to see Captain Daniel Hackett walking towards him.

Daniel Hackett: Everything is in order, Sir. I am to assume Elanos Haliat is pleased with yours and my work.

Bartok grimaced.

Bartok: I assume so. My men have been telling me we have been getting positive feedback.

Daniel Hackett: Good.

One of the men there snarls.

Junior: I'll… I'll kill you… we'll take you down for this.

Daniel Hackett doesn't respond, he walks away. Bartok looks at his men.

Bartok: Get the cameras rolling.

His soldier nods as he looks at two of the other men recording the scene, which begin.

Bartok turns to the cameras.

Bartok: This is Bartok Ghornah, you may have heard of me. I'm the most powerful warlord the Verge has ever had the pleasure of harboring. I have reduced your military to their knees, I have struck fear into your people, and I now claim Elysium as my own. Any who dare defy my rule my military action shall end up like this man.

Junior is pushed forward and is immediately shot in the head.

Bartok: And these men too.

Bartok shoots and kills several other men, which includes Mark. He shoots every single soldier in various parts of their body.

Bartok: You have heard my claim. And you will-

Soldier: The elevator! It's… huh?

Bartok: What is going on?

Soldier: It's… oh shit, it's Keylok. But he's dead.

Bartok: Dead?!

Soldier: He… oh. Oh God. Everyone get back! Get-

**BOOMFFH!**

Bartok: Agh!

~X~

I watched from the fire exit as the remote detonated explosive goes off, the elevator going down and killing five or six men in the process.

Bartok: What in hell's name is going on?

Then I bursted out from the fire exit with my M-8 Avenger Assault Rifle in hand, firing away at the men in front of me.

Bartok: Human! Kill him! Kill!

I slid into cover as shots fire all around. I clenched my teeth as I feel adrenaline rush through my system.

"Hyagh!"

I leapt out of cover into a roll, exposing myself as I take my shots and waste nearly every enemy soldier in the room. I don't know if I was just that determined, or if I was lucky, or if it was the element of surprise, but after a while?

Bartok: Shit. Retreat outside for now, men! Retreat!

They started to retreat. It was unbelievable. They just left. I barely believed it as they were going.

"Hhh…"

I looked to see a Batarian gasping for breath as his omni-camera continued to roll. I moved over and grabbed the camera, pointed it to my face, and took a deep breath.

What was I supposed to do? To say? Uh…

Well… I guess I'll tell them the truth.

"This is Lieutenant Sam Shepard of The Systems Alliance… signing off."

And then I pressed a button and closed the camera as the Batarian died.

But it was silent after that, very silent.

**To Be Continued…**


	4. Chapter 4: FUBAR BUNDY

**Mass Effect: The Requiem Saga: Genesis.  
****Volume 1.  
****Chapter 4.**

I stood up in the CIC of the Systems Alliance Military Base, holding my assault rifle and looked at the carnage around me. The Batarians had mostly if not completely retreated because of my surprise attack, but they had wreaked havoc here. So many people are dead.

And then I looked to see the officers on the floor. I recognized one of them right off the bat. Mark, I think it was. Only heard him say one word. He had been shot in the throat and was dead on the floor, but he looked… peaceful, at least.

But then I recognized someone else. Someone I knew a little bit more than the rest.

Junior was there with a large hole in his head, his eyes still open, not breathing at all.

"Oh God… Not you too…"

I kneeled down and looked at him, closing his eyes slowly. I felt tears at the edges of my eyes. I wanted to cry. I wanted to break down. But not yet. I can't. I have to stay strong.

"I'm sorry…"

And then… hope decided to rear its head.

?: Rgh… Sh-Shep… ngh…

I recognized the voice. Canadian Jervis.

I turned to see Jervis scooting back against the wall.

Jervis: Could use… a l-little… medigel here.

"J-Jervis!"

I ran over and kneeled next to him. How… how do I use my omnitoo-oh. Oh you just think about it.

I scrambled my way to where I was able to use medigel over his wounds and he stood up slowly, still slightly hunched.

Jervis: I think I'll be okay in a little while.

"What happened, Jervis? I woke up and Liz… Liz…"

Jervis: Liz too?

Jervis closed his eyes for a moment.

Jervis: I expected it but… damn.

Jervis shook his head.

Jervis: Well, Shep, Hackett fucking screwed us.

"What?"

Jervis limped over and sat down on a chair, pulling one over for me. I sat down as well.

Jervis: The whole shore leave shit? It was just to make sure our guard was let down. When we got back to the base, we got a bunch of reports of Batarians and pirates all over Elysium. We expected combat.

"And?"

Jervis: Hackett got us all in the briefing room again, and next thing you know, Batarians are breaking down the door. They shot a few of us and then took the rest, bound them up, and left them like… well, like how you saw.

"Why would he do this?

Jervis: Hell if I know, but it's usually the same with scumbags. Money. Stab your brothers in the back for a comfy bed and a nice glass of chardonnay. Piece of shit.

I rubbed my face for a moment, trying to take this all in.

"Well… what about Liz?"

Jervis hesitated.

Jervis: When they saw Liz… they grabbed her. And then they took her downstairs. They… they looked like they were going to…

We stayed silent for a few moments. Thinking back on it, I realized, it looked like her shirt was ripped open.

"What else?"

Jervis: That's it.

I sat back in the chair.

"Where are the police?"

Jervis: Police? Shep, we're the police. We're all they had and every one of us besides you and me are in the fucking ground. If we're lucky, maybe, just maybe, some of us were outside of the base when this all went down and are holding out.

The sounds of explosions in the background as well as gunfire became clear.

"They're invading…"

Jervis: Should've expected this shit months ago. We settled in a fucking Batarian territory. The hell did we think was going to happen?

"Bartok. That Batarian's name. Bartok. The guy in charge, who is he?"

Jervis: Some fucking warlord, I'unno. He ain't in charge.

"What?"

Jervis: Hackett and him were talking about some fucking boss they had. Haliat or some shit. Ah… um…

"Elanos Haliat."

Jervis: Sounds Turian. You heard of him?

Well… he's in the first game, so yeah, I guess.

"Yeah. He isn't Turian."

Jervis: What? But that name's Turian.

"That's the point. So it makes him sound Turian so no one expects a human to run things.

Jervis: Fuck, when'd you find this out?

"Ah… the grapevine, I guess."

Jervis: Huh…

The two of us mulled over the information we both received for a few moments.

Jervis: We need to call for reinforcements.

"What?"

Jervis: No one will survive if we don't. There's probably one or two distress calls, but let's contact command.

"All right."

Jervis: Can you do it?

"Ah…"

Jervis: Come on, man. I need a few minutes to heal.

"Sure, sure. I'll call for help."

Jervis: Use that console… there. See it?

"Yeah."

I got up off my seat and walked over to the console. Oofh… I've never seen an interface like this before. We were nowhere close to this kind of technology back in my time. Technology is ever evolving, I guess.

I pulled up what looked like a communications menu and looked back at him. He could tell I was having trouble.

Jervis: Been a while since you used a comm system, Shep? Hail them, they should have been the last used number so just press the hail button.

I nodded and pressed the button. The call began to go through and I just started thinking about what I was going to say.

Officer: Alliance Command reading Elysium five by five, loud and clear. Come in, Elysium, do you read?

"Yeah, loud and clear."

Officer: What's going on, Elysium? We've gotten a distress call, but it was jumbled, can you affirm what's going on over there?

"Yeah. Batarian Warlords and Pirates have invaded and are attacking the colony. We're being decimated."

Silence on the other end.

Officer: I'm sorry, who is this?

"Lieutenant Sam Shepard of The Systems Alliance, N7."

Officer: You were the lieutenant in the video?

"That would be me, yeah."

Officer: Lieutenant, connect me to your superior.

"That's the thing, Command. Besides me, all is left is Gunnery Chief Jervis Proctor. Both N7 Operatives. We got fucked over by our superior officer who's a turncoat, Captain Hackett."

Another brief moment of silence.

Officer: I'm sorry, send again Lieutenant? I think I may have misheard you

I bared my teeth. I wasn't in the mood to play games with someone over a telephone call.

"Things are fucked, officer. There's two officers left in the entire colony and people are being shot down right outside. Did you read me now?"

Officer: Ten four, officer. Stand by five, I need to connect with a superior. Break.

"Right."

I took my hands off the console, stopped leaning on it, and looked over at Jervis, who was now walking over here.

Jervis: Limp seems to have cleared up. I'm gonna get my armor on and my mantis, I'll be back in five.

I nodded and waited patiently, trying to calm myself down as this… primal excitement and anger boiled in my veins. I don't know how to explain it. I hated this but… I felt natural here. I knew I was doing something good here.

Fuck, I don't understand it.

Officer: Come in, Lieutenant. Send your traffic.

"Here. What's the news?"

Officer: We're sending our fleet to come and assist, however, it could take quite a while.

"What?"

Officer: Our fleet is preoccupied with various things, we need to gather them, and then it's the story of actually getting them to The Skyllian Verge and combat ready.

"Well, how long? Ah… an ETA?"

Officer: At least until the morning.

I nearly gasped. I checked the time on my omnitool. It's 4:00 PM. Over twelve hours to hold out? Shit…

"I… Officer, this is…."

Officer: I know. I'm sorry. My superior will do all he can but don't expect more than that.

"I… ergh… Who is your superior? Just so we know who to contact if anything goes down."

Officer: Admiral Steven Hackett, Sir.

I immediately recognized the name. Big name in the Mass Effect Universe.

"What? Are you serious?"

Officer: Roger, Lieutenant. Don't worry… Daniel Hackett will be dealt with promptly.

"That's not why… ah, all right."

Officer: Have one of you check in every so often so we know we still have ground support.

"Right."

Officer: We'll try to do as best we can.

"Forgive me if I'm not enthused, officer. Sorry."

Officer: I understand, Lieutenant. Good luck. Over and out.

The call line dropped and a few seconds later, Jervis walked into the room with a slimmer light armor, a pistol, and a sniper rifle that I recognized as an M-92 Mantis.

Jervis: What's the news?

"Goddamn Alliance can't get to the colony until the fucking morning."

Jervis stopped in his tracks and then slowly strapped his sniper to his back.

Jervis: Are you fucking serious?

"Can't get the fleet together fast enough. Admiral Hackett is leading the fleet too."

Jervis: At least there's that.

"Hell do we do?"

Jervis: I… well, I guess we could hole up here.

"I guess… but…"

Jervis: What?

"But… all the people outside. They're dying. They're being murdered and… who knows what else?"

Jervis thought about it for a moment, sitting on a chair.

Jervis: Look, how can we be any help if we're dead? It'd be better to make sure they don't take the base.

"You're right but…"

Look, this guy's a soldier; he probably knows what he's talking about… but then again… I can hear the screaming. It's faint, but I can hear it. I can't let it go on in good conscience, knowing I can stop it.

"How about we do both?"

Jervis: What?

"Well, we're two alliance soldiers. N7s. We could…"

What did Shepard do?

"…Rally a resistance force."

Jervis: Are you serious?

"Think about it. If we can get a message out to the colonists, have them gather in one place, we could push back until reinforcements arrive."

Jervis: We could… but if we fuck up, who the fuck knows what could happen?

"Not anything good, I know. But if we do this… we could save the colony. Not everyone will die."

Jervis sighed.

Jervis: Well, I'd rather not die getting ambushed while I'm hiding like a bitch. So… we'll go with your idea.

"Okay."

Jervis stood up.

Jervis: Well… let's get to it, then.

**To Be Continued…**


	5. Chapter 5: In Over His Head

**Mass Effect: The Requiem Saga: Genesis.  
****Volume 1.  
****Chapter 5.**

"Give me a quick recap again why we're here.

Jervis and I were taking cover near a warehouse and Jervis was using his omnitool to hack the door next to us. After some small preparations, the two of us left hurriedly. I just followed Jervis; he said something jumbled for the reason as to why we're going, so I assumed it was something important.

Jervis: You didn't hear me? Jesus. I was able to locate where the first distress call was coming from, maybe we'd run into someone who could help us out.

"Right. Sorry."

Jervis and I readied our weapons.

Jervis: We're gonna breach. Ready?

I nodded.

Jervis: One… Two… Three!

After opening it with his omnitool, we burst through the door and held our weapons at the ready.

?: Shit! Holy shit! The Batarians are here!

We then saw two Turians holding their guns at the ready, both wearing full armor. One of them was holding an assault rifle and had purple heavy armor on, the other was holding a submachine gun with slim and black light armor. The latter obviously the younger of the two.

"Whoa whoa whoa, Jervis, let's stand down."

Turian: Damn… you're not Batarians.

Jervis: I'm Gunnery Chief Jervis Proctor; this is my friend Lieutenant Sam Shepard. We're from the Systems Alliance.

Turian: Where the hell have you humans been?

"Been a little preoccupied. Who are you?"

Turian: I'm Major Vahan Octavian, this is Sergeant Galen Tyzuris.

I looked at the both of them along with Jervis and we relaxed our guard.

Jervis: You're part of the Turian Legion that had been stationed here for a few weeks, right?

Vahan: Right. However, my friend here, Galen, is black ops. He'd been accompanying us for our mission, but he was supposed to get off when we got to Illium.

Galen nodded his head.

Galen: Yeah. But uh… things kind of got fucked.

"That's an understatement."

Vahan scans us with stone-cold eyes for a few moments.

Vahan: All right, c'mere.

The two of us walked up a small staircase and past a barricade made of various things around the warehouse, we're led to what looks like a lounge with a communications console nearby.

Jervis: Were you two the people who sent out the distress call?

Vahan: No. And if you're not the one who sent it out, we're probably here for the same reason.

Jervis: Yeah. I guess so.

We sat down and Galen did as well, but Vahan chose to stand up.

"So… where's the rest of you?"

Vahan: You're looking at it.

"Oh."

Vahan: We were all resting and the next thing I know, shots were fired.

"Same thing with us. I was sleeping and I was woken up by… screaming."

Vahan shook his head in frustration.

"At the moment, we're trying our best to make sure this colony does not fall. We're trying to see if we can rally a resistance force."

Vahan's eyes darted from between the two of us.

Vahan: You shitting me?

Jervis: I don't think so.

Vahan: Shit, I don't know how you're going to do that, but…

Vahan looked at Galen and he nodded.

Vahan: Fuck it, we'll try and help out as much as possible.

"…Really?"

Vahan: Yeah. We'll give it a go. It's our duty and shit to help out the civilian populous.

Jervis: Thank you.

Galen: It's our pleasure.

Vahan: So what's your plan?

"Well…"

Jervis: We were going to see if we could meet up with the people who made the distress call, but… that doesn't seem to be an option.

Vahan: Hrm…

Galen: But we… still could help you out.

Jervis: Hm?

Galen: After the legion… fell, we were able to get away and took refuge with a large group of civilians. I'd probably say they're all that's left at this point or at least the majority.

"Are you serious?"

Galen: I wouldn't lie about something like this.

I turned to Jervis, who was just as shocked as I am.

Jervis: What's their status?

Vahan: Barely holding out. They've been in the docking port, holding out and waiting for reinforcements. I believe someone there might have sent off the distress call here.

"But… how have they not been found?"

Vahan: It's quite brilliant, really. In case of emergency, there's a service tunnel that runs from the Council Embassy to the docking port for evacuation.

Jervis: You and I know that tunnel, Shep. We found it when we first got here, on Elysium.

"Uh… right."

Vahan: So when the pirates sealed the docking port out, some of the local community leaders were able to get as many people as they could round up and had them go through there.

"That's smart. Very smart."

Vahan: The pirates don't know they're in there and they have no way of knowing… yet.

"…We need to get to them fast."

Jervis: Why? I know we do but… aren't they safe?

Galen: Your friend's right. We do need to get to them and I think he knows why too.

"It's simple, they're hiding out in there, right? But the docking port won't be sealed forever. If, for any reason, it's opened up, if they're found out, when The Pirates are done with pillaging the colony and appropriate a ship… there'll be a lot of bodies to clean up afterward."

Jervis: Shit.

Vahan: We need to get to the embassy, then.

"How?"

Vahan: I'll leave that to Galen.

Galen: Don't worry; they've already been through the embassy at this point. They might have a few people stationed there but if we get there quickly and silently, we take 'em out, I think we'll have a straight path to the port.

"But won't they notice the people there are not reporting in or are just silent?"

Galen: That's the gamble. Hopefully, they'll think that they're just slacking off for a little while. They're pirates and raiders, so that's to be expected, right? But even then, we wouldn't have a lot of time. They'd figure out that we wanted to get in here, do a bit of hard searching as to why, and they might find the tunnel.

Vahan: If we seal it off, they won't be able to get through from there, but they'll still know it leads to the docking port.

"So… we're on a time limit."

Jervis: Should we really do this? If we go there, it's a definite they'll be found out, but if we don't…

Vahan: They get shot later. I don't think it'll matter.

Jervis: But we have alliance reinforcements coming in.

Galen: Spirits, really?

"Yeah, we do."

Galen: When will they be here?

Jervis: The fleet'll be here in the morning.

Vahan: They'll be dead by then. No question.

Jervis: I guess… we have little choice then. They die now or later.

I looked at Jervis for a moment and realized something. I couldn't pick it up at first, maybe because I only met him today, but… it became obvious. He was trying to hide it with annoyance and dry humor, but he couldn't do a very good job about it.

He was scared.

So I grabbed his shoulder abruptly and he turned to me. I gave him my best hard and stern look.

"Or… we save them."

Jervis: Hrm… Always the optimist, Shep.

Jervis took a deep breath.

Galen: I'm with… I forget your name?

"Shepard."

Galen: Shepard, then. I'm with him. We go and push back.

Vahan: I was going to go whether or not you people cared to, so, we might as well do it together.

Jervis glanced back at me and I met his eyes for a moment. He nodded.

Jervis: Then I'm going with as well.

He stood up and we all did so afterward.

Jervis: No use sitting around then. Let's get ready and go.

Galen: I'll be taking point.

Jervis: Of course.

Vahan and Galen walked out from their makeshift barricade, near the door and began to speak. Jervis looked at his sniper rifle and fiddled with it, so, I decided to approach him.

"You all right, man?"

Jervis gave me a small look, then nodded, still fiddling.

"Just making sure. You uh… you're looking a bit nervous."

Jervis: Tch. Could you blame me?

"No I couldn't."

Jervis took a deep breath.

Jervis: I uh… I never got trained for this shit. They never told us that all of our friends would be shot to death in front of us. You know?

"Yeah. Yeah, I know."

Jervis: I just… I saw Junior there and… I didn't know what to do. He was my best friend.

Jervis looked me hard in the eyes.

Jervis: How are you doing it?

"What?"

Jervis: You're… you're completely hardened right now. I haven't seen you break or get nervous. You're not even scared. How? You saw what happened in the CIC… those were our friends.

I thought about it for a moment. I didn't want to admit it… but maybe, just maybe, it's because I didn't know them? Am I that numb? That just because I didn't know someone well and they were shot means I don't care?

No… no that's not it at all. I wanted to cry back there. I wanted to break down. But I couldn't. And I still can't.

"We… we still have work to do, right? So I can't afford to be scared."

I'm lying to him. I'm scared. I'm so, so very scared. I'm probably more scared than anyone in this room.

He was never trained for things like this? I was never trained period. I'm not ready for this… I still don't know why I'm here, not even exactly sure how. And now… I have to save the rest of a human colony in a futuristic world I only knew through a video game?

I'm in over my head.

"But uh… come on. Let's go. We got a colony to save."

Jervis nodded and I walked past him.

I felt like a piece of shit.

**To Be Continued…**


	6. Chapter 6: Someone I Recognize

**Mass Effect: The Requiem Saga: Genesis.  
****Volume 1.  
****Chapter 6.**

I was crouched down behind a wreckage of a building with three other people. Two Turians named Vahan Octavian and Galen Tyzuris and one human named Jervis Proctor. We were only about twenty meters away from The Council Embassy building in the colony of Elysium, of which we were located.

Galen: We run to the barricade around the building in three… two… one…

Galen pointed to the barricade and waved us through. First Vahan, then Jervis, then me.

Galen: Go, go, go!

The four of us ran there with no regard to the sound we're making, knowing that if we get there with no one seeing, it won't matter. I was the last one to hit the barricade, sliding into it.

Galen: All right, everyone good?

We nodded.

Galen: Now, Jervis, scout the area with your Mantis.

Jervis: With pleasure.

Jervis got onto one knee and leaned his sniper onto the top of the barricade, looking through the scope and down the barrel at the surrounding area.

Jervis: Hrm…

"What?"

Jervis: Nothing here.

Galen: All right then. Head to the entrance on my mark.

Galen made a hand gesture and we all went, lining up on the wall next to the entrance, Galen heading it. Galen looked back at me and nodded at Jervis.

I thought about this for a moment, and then tapped Jervis on the shoulder. I made a gesture for looking through a sniper at the now broken door. He seemed to get the picture, as he moved forward and began to take a look.

Jervis: Nothing…

Galen: Are you absolutely sure?

Jervis: Completely.

Vahan: Let's head inside then.

The four of us ready our weapons and head inside, spreading out to cover all our ground. There was a silence between us, so I decided to fill it with something that I thought appropriate. I thought of the movie Alien and all the terms used in that movie.

"Check those corners, men."

Jervis cracked off a small chuckle. Well, he knew I was referencing Aliens at least. I think. I hope. Is that movie still around?

Galen then made a hand gesture at us to wait.

"What's-"

Vahan: Shh!

I shut my mouth and noticed Vahan analyzing me for a moment. I wonder if he knew I wasn't… highly trained.

Galen hid behind a wall and we all took cover on either side of an open space to the next room. He peaked his head over to see a Batarian sleeping on a chair on the other side of the wall.

Then, faster than I've ever seen someone move before, he got his omniblade out, turned to the other side of the room and slashed the man's throat. The Batarian's eyes popped open, but Galen had already covered his mouth. He stabbed him, digging his blade farther into him.

Galen: Ngh…

The Batarian clawed at Galen, but then fell limp.

?: The hell-Chartin!

My eyes darted from Galen to another Batarian who had entered the room. It seemed the world froze.

Batarian: You motherfucking birdbrained bastard, I'll-

Then suddenly, a blue light came from beside me. I barely had time to turn up before I felt force next to me being shot off into the Batarian, who was knocked into the wall.

"Huh?"

I turned up to see Vahan's body stop glowing blue.

Biotics. I'm next to a Turian Biotic. Wow.

Vahan: Hrm. Galen, take a look through the rest of the building. I feel like those were it for resistance here.

Galen: Roger.

Galen turned from the corpse, walking partway through the room until he disappeared.

"Wh-oh. Right."

Cloaking. Gonna have to get used to stuff like this, I guess.

I turned to Vahan who was checking his armor.

"You're a biotic?"

He nodded.

Vahan: I was part of a cabal. Everyone's dead now.

"Oh. What uh… class are you?"

Vahan: Huh?

"Uh… like… soldier class?"

Vahan: Ah. Vanguard.

"Oh. Cool."

Vahan: Yeah, uh, sure.

Jervis took my conversation as a joke and chuckled again. Maybe out of nervousness.

We waited for a couple of minutes before Galen returned.

Galen: The building is clear. We need to move. Come on, I know the way.

We followed him to a storage room and you could see that he had moved several things out of the way to reveal a hatch.

Galen: All right, everyone ready?

Everyone grunted or nodded in response. Jervis walked forward and helped open the hatch, allowing all of us to climb down a ladder to get to a large tunnel.

Jervis was the last to get down and he looked at me and then everything else.

Jervis: Jesus. They haven't cleaned this shit in years.

Vahan: Keep moving.

The four of us moved quickly down the tunnel and my thoughts were only on the hatch. We did close the door behind us, but there was no way to hide it. If they come around and look, they'll find the hatch; they'll see that it leads to the docking port. We might even have less time than we thought.

Galen: Here.

We stopped at a turn in the tunnel where it led straight to a large steel door. Galen got to work on opening it.

Jervis: Shep and I'll do the talking, all right? They'll be on edge; it'll be good for them to see some Systems Alliance guys in here.

Vahan: No argument from me. Just don't fuck up.

Jervis: Aren't you sweet? Shep, remember how to talk down a situation?

I lived in a… well, not modern, but it was modern for me up until a day ago, household with my parents, who were both incredibly opinionated and old-fashioned people where I argued and heard arguing every day, playfully or otherwise. If there was one thing that I was trained for at all, it was defusing people getting angry at me or others. So…

"Yeah, I'm ready."

Jervis: Good.

Galen: Door's opening… about… now.

Suddenly, the door shot open and we moved quickly inside, shutting it, locking it, and then with a few shots of Vahan's gun, sealed it.

?: The hell is going…? Holy shit. Intruders! Hey! They're here! Holy fuck, they're here!

Suddenly, as we finished walking up a ramp, we were met with about ten different people with assault rifles pointed straight at us.

Civilian: Stay right fucking there!

Jervis: Stand down, we're Alliance!

Civilian: Bullshit! Fir-

Then a man's voice from the back of the line of civilians came through the panic.

?: Stand down!

Civilian: What?

?: Did you hear me…?

The man stepped forward through the crowd, putting his hands out. He was an African American man with a shaved head, clean-shaven, and was wearing Systems Alliance blues with a cap. He was limping slightly with a bandage on his arm and side.

?: Stand your asses down!

"Holy shit…"

Jervis: You know him? I don't recognize him, but that's Alliance clothing.

I stepped forward gingerly, almost not believing my eyes.

"Yeah. Yeah I know him…"

The man looked at me, confused.

"David Anderson..."

David Anderson of the Systems Alliance stood before us… oh my god.

**To Be Continued…**


	7. Chapter 7: Civil Discord

**Mass Effect: Requiem: Genesis:  
****Volume 1.  
****Chapter 7.**

Anderson: Wait… I think I might know you too.

In the docking port, I'm standing in front of the only person I've actually recognized from this crazy universe. David Anderson.

"Y-you do?"

Anderson: Yeah, you're the N7, right? I met you during training.

"Yeah! I mean, yes. Yes that's me."

Anderson eyed me up for a moment, but then shook his head.

Anderson: What are all your names? You two say you're Alliance?

Jervis piped up first.

Jervis: Gunnery Chief Jervis Proctor of the Systems Alliance, yeah.

Galen: You could probably tell we're not. I'm Sergeant Galen Tyzuris.

Vahan: Major Vahan Octavius.

Anderson: And you, N7?

"Ah… Lieutenant Sam Shepard."

Civilian: You were on the broadcast, right?

"What?"

Civilian: You were the one who came in and fought Bartok and his men, right?

"Oh. Yeah. I think that was me."

Anderson: You fought Bartok?

I turned to Anderson, who was analyzing me.

"Yeah. Kind of had to. But I… I wasn't able to… hrm."

Jervis looked at me and then turned to Anderson.

Jervis: By the time he got here, I was the only one alive. Probably wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him. If there's any man you can trust or rely on… it's him.

The civilians began to talk amongst themselves; I kept hearing my… new name being thrown around. I could feel Anderson and Vahan both giving me surprised but yet still analytical looks. I don't think anyone expected me to be able to shoot straight from the way I've been acting, let alone… well… save a dude.

But we're not here for that.

"We don't have time for this right now, we came through the hatch and took out two of their guards. It won't be long until they're at our door."

Anderson: What?

Civilian: Are you… are you serious?

The civilian walks right up to me and grabs my armor.

Civilian: You killed us! You killed us, you asshole! You fucking murdered us!

But… But I'm trying to save you. I'm…

"I…"

Vahan shoes the civilian away.

Vahan: If you hid away here, you would've been dead by the morning anyway.

Civilian: Bullshit! We-we could've hid out! We didn't need you!

Anderson: He's right.

Civilian: What?

Anderson: I was trying to think of a way to escape our deaths, but… I'm not sure I could've. I'm injured badly, I'm not able to fight.

Civilian: Wh-what? So… so you knew we'd die?

Mother: Just because you couldn't think of something, we would've all died?! You monster!

I had to say, I was surprised too. I didn't expect someone like Anderson to wing something like this… to… to hurt

The civilian populous began to turn on us. Anderson stayed quiet while they talked. I looked to the others and I could tell they didn't know what to do either. And… well… to tell you the truth, neither did I.

Civilian: Fuck this. Bryan, you remember how to fly a ship? Yeah? Everyone! Let's go unlock a starship and get the fuck out.

Jervis: What? You'll be killed!

Civilian: Yeah? Well we're dead either way.

Galen: Listen to the man, he-

Civilian: Shut the fuck up, bird-shit.

Vahan: The fuck did you just say?

I put a hand on Vahan's chest as he began to advance, snarling. All the people began to mill about their business, hurriedly working.

Anderson: I felt like it was going to turn out this way sometime down the line.

Anderson turned to us.

Anderson: Come on, I'll take you to somewhere you can rest.

We all separately decided to go with him, following close behind as he led us to a makeshift sort of lounge.

Anderson: I'll go see if I can talk some sense into them, they trust me a bit more than you guys.

"Thanks."

Anderson walked away, leaving us. I buried my face in my hands.

"What are we gonna do…?"

Jervis: We'll wait for Anderson to clear some things up.

"Then what?"

Vahan: we wait until they make their move… then we strike.

Galen: It's pretty much our only option at this point. They need to come to us; it's not possible to come to them.

Jervis: Yeah.

Jervis looked at Vahan.

Jervis: So what's your story?

Vahan thought for a moment.

Vahan: Well, since we'll be fighting together…

He looked at Galen and then me.

Vahan: Well, never got married. Got close once, but that was it. I was or… still am an orphan. Joined the military when I could, I'll admit, even lied about my age to get in. Tried to hide that I was a biotic from people, but it came out. So a little amp here, an implant there, I became part of a cabal. Rose through the ranks, became part of the 18th Legion and… well… here I am. How bout you, human?

Jervis: Me? Ah… I'm from Canada on Earth, English parents though. Hence the English name. I have a little sister, both of my parents are still alive. Don't have a girlfriend or anything. Joined the military after college, finished basic and specialized training, then I got assigned to Elysium. I met Shep here. And uh… yeah, that's about it. How bout you, Galen?

Galen popped up, having only been listening until now.

Galen: Hm? Oh, right. Sorry, got caught up thinking about your guys' stories. Well, I'm from Palaven. Both of my parents are still alive too, I also have a little sister, but I have a big brother too. His name's Kylus, but I haven't talked to him in a while. I do have a girl, she's actually in a Cabal, believe it or not.

Vahan: Would I know her?

Galen: Probably. Renaea Yunoa.

Vahan: Oh wow, yeah, I fucking know her. Not many Turians who don't know the Yunoas.

Galen: Yeah. But uh… that's pretty much it, really. If you must know, I was born without a collar or a hump.

I raised an eyebrow at him. A Turian without a collar or a hump? But…

Galen: I see the look on yoru face. Yeah, the armor I'm wearing makes it look like I have a hump… but…

Galen grabs his chestplate and takes off all of his torso armor, revealing a human-like body. He had no collar or hump at all. If you put a hoodie on him, maybe shortened his fringe a bit, you probably wouldn't be able to tell he was a Turian from faraway. He even looked to be wearing human clothing, wearing a t-shirt underneath.

Galen: Yeah. No hump. I just threw this armor on because it was all I had, but usually, I wear a custom-made Turian armor with a human chestplate.

"Shit, man. That's pretty cool."

Galen: Hnh. That's a first.

Vahan looked at his non-collared body, shrugged, then turned to me.

Vahan: You?

"Huh?"

Vahan: What's your story?

"Oh. Right. Uh…"

What was my story?

I thought about it for a moment. All right, let's see, everything about me seems to be… me. So if I just be vague, I can get by. I don't know what my backstory is, but yeah.

"Um, well, there's not much to tell. I had an older sister and my parents."

Vahan: Had?

"Yeah. Had."

Because… well, at least as of now, my family either doesn't exist or has been dead for over a hundred years.

"But that's about all you need to know."

Jervis gave me an odd look. I feel like he knew more about me that I didn't know and he was confused why I wasn't telling. He just turned away after a moment, probably thinking I had my reasoning. But Vahan was still giving me an analytical eye.

After about an hour more of small talk, my mind began to drift to other things. I tried not to think about the whole other universe thing, but it did creep into my thoughts every once in a while. I can address it after this is done but… it's still odd.

So to distract myself, I thought about the reinforcements. The officer said he'll be here by morning. And it's probably around… I'm not sure, midnight? Probably around then.

He also wanted us to check in. I'm pretty sure Jervis had done so when we were waiting for Galen.

We waited for a little longer before Vahan turned to Galen and Jervis.

Vahan: Can you two check in with Anderson?

Galen: Hm? Oh. Right, yeah.

Jervis: On it.

"Oh and uh, remember to check in with Alliance."

Jervis: Right. Thanks.

"No problem."

Jervis and Galen walked off and I was left to awkwardly sit with Vahan.

Vahan: So…

"Hm?"

Vahan: You're not military, right?

Oh shit.

"Wh-what? How could you-"

Vahan shook his head. He didn't look mad or anything.

Vahan: Cut the crap. You're not military. I don't know why Jervis knows you, maybe you look like someone he knows or maybe you're the actual Shepard's twin brother or some shit.

"H-how? How'd you…?"

Vahan: How'd I pick it up? Kid, I've been in the military since you were in diapers. If I didn't recognize an untrained civvy as opposed to a soldier at this point, I'd have to be really fucking unobservant or er… what do you humans call your stupid people? Mentally challenged? Something like that, yeah.

"We don't… that's not cool, man."

Vahan: Whatever. I'm old, I'll get away with it.

I cracked a smile. Probably my first legitimate one since… well, all this shit happened.

Vahan: But anyway, I just want you to know you're doing a good job.

"Oh."

Vahan: Not many people could do what you've done today. I can see you've used a gun before and your knowledgeable enough to hold your own. What is it? Military family?

"Ah… something like that."

Vahan: Thought so. Well, kid… I won't say anything.

"Really?"

Vahan: They like you. Anderson seems to know you as well. You'd be a good diplomat for us. And you do seem to have… something about you. I don't know what it is, but it makes people want to follow you. You're a natural born leader.

"Th-thanks. I really mean that."

Vahan: I know you do. But listen, I-

**BOOOOOMMMFFHHH!**

Vahan and I both shoot up to our feet at the sound of the explosion.

Vahan: Shit.

We both turn to the main entrance to the docking port, seeing it filled to the brim with Batarian mercenaries, pirates, and bandits.

"Oh. Oh no…"

**To Be Continued…**


	8. Chapter 8: One Man's Promise

**Mass Effect: The Requiem Saga: Genesis.**

**Volume 1.**

**Chapter 8.**

Vahan: Get the fuck down!

Shots fire over my head as Vahan rips me from in front of my chair and has me take cover behind a table.

"Holy shit…"

Vahan: All right, you listening to me?

"Yeah…"

Vahan: See that corner there?

Vahan pointed to a corner of a turn of the walls, where there was cover and we could possibly get to the rest. Maybe help them out.

Vahan: You go when I say. And you fucking run. Got that?

"Uhuh."

Vahan: All right, y-shit!

Vahan had to duck under a shot that ricocheted off the table. He could feel the presence of people moving in closer.

Vahan: Go! Now! Right now!

"Hnh!"

I shot out of the cover of the table and felt Vahan follow close behind, taking shots. I swear I could see the blue glow coming out from behind me as well.

Vahan: Argh!

As I slid into cover, I turned my head to see Vahan stumble forward into it. His face was clenched up as he grabbed my shoulder.

Vahan: Keep fucking moving!

I was ripped to my feet and we both ran towards the actual hangar of the docking port where we saw about six starships stationed here. We immediately saw people were confused, as they probably could only hear echoes of screaming and gunshots. Vahan sealed the door behind us as everyone came out from what they were doing.

Jervis: Shep? Vahan? What's up?

Galen: Is everything all right?

The gunshots end, but the screaming continues.

Civilian: Wh-what's going on?

Vahan: I'll tell you what's fucking going on…

Vahan walks straight up to the civilian, grabs him by the shirt, and pulls him into the air, looking at him in the eyes. I could see dark blue blood coming out from his side. Oh no.

Vahan: The fucking Batarians are here!

Anderson limped out from cover.

Anderson: They broke through?

"Yeah."

Anderson grabbed the railing of the walkway he is on, holding it so tightly that his knuckles turn white.

Anderson: We need to get ready. Now.

Vahan: How many weapons do we have?

Anderson: Enough for everyone who can hold a gun, will hold a gun.

Vahan: Then get them on those damn weapons.

Anderson: Right. People! Follow me!

Anderson limped down the walkway and people began to follow him until they got to a stockpile. Galen and Jervis immediately ran to us when the mob of people moved by.

Jervis: Well this all went to shit quickly.

Suddenly, our eyes turn to the sealed door as a line of melted metal begins to appear.

Vahan: Shit. They're trying to take the door down.

We all took cover quickly and readied our weapons. I had to take a few deep breaths. Am I going to die?

Jervis: Shit… well... It's been fun guys.

"Don't say that."

Jervis: Hm?

"We're not going to die here. I promise."

Jervis didn't say anything back, but Galen piped up.

Galen: Well, Lieutenant, Gunnery Chief… How about after this, we all go out to get a few drinks?

Jervis: Yeah… yeah, that sounds fun.

"I'm down."

Galen: Good.

Vahan: Quit your fucking sentimental shit, let's take out these assholes, grab a bite, take a nap.

A few seconds later, Anderson returned with all of the colonists armed. I took a look at them. Teenagers holding guns, a mother holding a pistol as a child holds onto her leg…

War is hell.

Anderson: All right, everyone's armed.

"Let's get them covered, all right?

Anderson: Right. Everyone! Get into cover!

Anderson turned to us.

Anderson: I'll see you boys after the fight.

I had to smile at Anderson and nodded.

"Roger."

Anderson saluted and then limped as quickly as he could into decent cover. We turn back to the door and it's nearly broken through.

Vahan: Men! Ready your weapons! Aim…

And then suddenly, it stopped.

Vahan: Hm? Wha-

**BOOOOOOOMMMMMFFFFHHHH!**

Suddenly, the door exploded. The door shot out and fire spread through the area. We all fell down from the shockwave as the door flew overhead and lodged itself into one of the starships.

"Oh my-"

**BOOOMMFFHHH!**

Before I knew what was happening, I turned back to see someone had thrown out what looked like to be a lift grenade in the area of us four.

In a single second, I looked at everyone here. Galen also saw a lift grenade and was about to react, Jervis hadn't even noticed it yet, and Vahan was just turning around. I thought about grabbing one of them, but before could even move, the grenade had exploded.

"AGH!"

It's an odd thing being thrown away. You try to stay on the ground, but it is literally not possible. It's not easy to describe, as there's not any feeling like it. I flew through the air, landing on the walkway and tumbling over the railing.

"Sh-!"

I grabbed the railing, my legs swinging wildly as my body stopped abruptly. Using the momentum of my legs, I pulled myself over the railing and back onto the walkway. My ears were ringing, but it began to cease as I surveyed the battleground. It wasn't in slow motion or anything… but it was… picturesque.

The colonists shooting, some of them are so scared that they're just blind firing. I looked back at where Jervis had taken cover to see Vahan with his leg facing the wrong way. He had gotten onto his knees. I tried to yell out but the sound couldn't come out of my mouth. The next thing I saw was a shot going through the back of his head and out of the forehead. He immediately fell over the railing and down into the bottom of the hangar.

"Ag… agh…"

I got more into cover and grabbed my head as the ringing ceased. I realized I was in pain. I was looking at the ground when I looked to see Galen in cover, yelling at me.

I stood to my feet, hearing a plethora of screaming and gunshots. I watched as Batarian grabbed the mother I saw earlier and threw her over the railing, then one of them killing the loud civilian with a boot to the face.

I then heard coughing.

?: Sh-… ugh… Shep…

I turned back to see Jervis with a huge hole in his stomach and part of the broken railing stabbed into his upper body.

Jervis: Rgh… h-hey man…

"Oh no. Oh please no…"

I kneeled down and kept my hands hovering over his body, not knowing what to do.

Jervis: C-could… rgh… oh god, please. Shep… take the b-bar out… please…

I looked at the railing stabbed into him and grabbed it. I began to pull, but he yelled in pain.

"Oh God. I'm so sorry, Jervis. I'm sorry."

So I went with a Band-Aid policy. I ripped it out quickly and abruptly.

Jervis; AAAAGHHHH!

Jervis screamed in pain, but I threw the bar out. He breathed quickly, but was able to calm himself down.

Jervis: Sh…shit…

"Jervis…"

Jervis: H-how bad… is it?

"I…"

Jervis: Pretty bad, huh?

Jervis tried to take a deep breath but ended up coughing.

Jervis: I uh… Shep… Shep, I need you to listen t-to me.

"What?"

Jervis: I… I know I'm not g-gonna… you know. Make it.

"No no, yeah you will. We'll get some medigel on you and-"

Jervis: Shut up, Shepard. Do…do-don't bullshit me. I know what's going on… so I need you t-to do something for me.

Tears were welling up in my eyes.

"What?"

Jervis: R-remember… I have a fam-family… please… please tell them I died a soldier.

"I will. I swear."

Jervis: Thank you.

Jervis coughed.

Jervis: You're gonna go… go far, Shep. I know it. I just know it. Y-you're gonna… you're gonna head up the Alliance one day. I swear. I'l-hrngh… I'll be watchin' it go down…

"I…"

Jervis: You're a good guy. I know. You're… you're a great leader. Jus'… jus' remember something for me, a'right?

Jervis coughed again, blood trickling down.

Jervis: Don-don't let… don't fall. Don't fall like the rest of them. Pleas…please… stand… strong.

"I will. I will."

Jervis: O-okay… goo-good…

Jervis let his head down.

Jervis: Heaven b-better be… real nice…

And then… he stopped talking. He stopped moving. He stopped breathing.

I kneeled there for what seemed like an hour, but it was just a minute. Maybe less.

I stood up and looked around at the death and the fighting.

What am I doing here? What the hell am I doing here? I'm not a soldier. I'm not… I'm a video game nerd who didn't really know what he wanted from life. I had a family back where I was from. I had a comfy bed and a safe place. Mass Effect was my favorite game and now… now I'm in the game.

But… what am I really supposed to do? I've been taken to a new place and there's obviously no way back. I was trying to think of ways to get back when I went to bed earlier, but it's not going to happen. I've been given Shepard's place in the world now.

So… yeah. Yeah, I'm not a soldier. I'm right about that. I'm a video game nerd. I am afraid. I'm so, so afraid.

But I have to become one. I have to become a soldier. No… I can't become one, I have to be one. There's too much on the line.

I am Commander Shepard.

I looked down and grabbed the assault rifle that fell from my back and immediately moved forward.

Anderson: Shepard? Shepard! What are you doing?

I turned back to Anderson as shots flew around us.

"Sir… Finishing this fight."

**To Be Continued…**


	9. Chapter 9: Pushing Back

**Mass Effect: The Requiem Saga: Genesis.  
****Volume 1.  
****Chapter 9.**

Let's just get down to business.

I ran forward, past barricades and waist-high cover and toward the incoming pirate force.

Why am I doing this? I don't… I don't know. But I'm not dead yet. So I guess it could work.

Galen: Shepard? What are you doing?

I didn't respond, all I did was level my assault rifle as I felt the swirling wind of high velocity rounds flying past my head. I shot my rifle, taking out two men immediately with short sprays. I shot again, another two men.

"AAGHH!"

I wasn't being shot. Holy shit, I haven't been shot yet.

And then, with a flick of a switch, I shot a concussive shot from the rifle. It almost blew back into my head, but just missed. One of them flew back into the group.

"Fire! Don't stop firing!"

Nearly everyone in the colony was dishing out suppressing fire so that the Batarians were being pushed back. I kept advancing slowly, shooting. My shields took a hit, but I kept moving.

I'm not sure if my shields were broken that I would stop. This was just… a time where failure was not an option.

Galen: Shepard, move!

"What?"

Galen: Move!

Galen had already reared up behind me and grabbed my shoulder, pulling me back. I followed him quickly, getting at a safe distance and before I knew it, a grenade had been thrown to the door, where a mass of Batarians was located.

**BOOMFHH!**

Everyone near the explosion, including one colonist who stood up out of cover, had died from the shrapnel or the impact.

Batarian: Fall back to base! Fall back!

The Batarians fled back out of the docking bay, taking pot shots at the opening to the hangar, but I ran forward.

Anderson: Lieutenant? What are you doing?

"We need to get after them, hold the docking bay and the opening. We can't let them come at us again with the upper hand. We need to fight. We need to win!"

I didn't even really know what was happening at this point, but I realized colonists were coming after to follow me. Galen was included in the group.

They were looking to me now. They needed me… I needed to lead them. I thought about it for a split second and then pointed through the opening.

"Right… Galen, take them to the door. Keep the pressure on. Secure them tactical positions, if possible get the fastest to take some tables or something to make for some other waist high cover."

Wow. This was… actually pretty natural. Leading people in a situation like this.

Galen: Roger. Let's go, men!

I looked at the wall opposite from the opening to see an area where several of the colonists had taken the wounded and the children. We need to defend this position. We had plenty of people to go around. Hopefully it'll stay that way.

"Leave two here."

The colonists began to file out, except for the two I ordered to stay. I looked at Anderson, who had turned and was limping away to the injured.

"Aren't you coming with?"

Anderson turned to me.

Anderson: I can't fight, Lieutenant. I'm injured.

I thought about it for a moment. He can't stay here with these injured people and the armed colonists. While I bet they could hold out against a few Batarians, I don't think they could do much else against a larger force.

"Then I need you to help these two guards to get all the injured out of here. The fight might spread here and if it does, we can't have you or any of these people get caught in the crossfire."

Anderson nodded.

Anderson: All right, I can do that much.

"Good. Did you hear that, you two?"

The two armed colonists nodded.

"Good."

I turned to the opening and took a deep breath, but it was cut off.

Anderson: Lieutenant?

My gaze landed on Anderson yet again.

Anderson: Good luck.

I nodded and ran out into the fray, seeing the colonists having taken cover near the docking port gaping hole in the door/wall, using tables and other things as makeshift cover. A few men hung back and took slow and aimed shots, guided by Galen who was with them. I ran forward to meet with the men in the front line.

"Keep firing, men! Hold your position no matter what happens!"

I leveled the rifle and shot a Batarian. He fell behind cover and I moved to another one.

Civilian: Agh!

A civilian taking cover on one side of the hole is hit with a concussive shot, being thrown back into the wall and falls onto the floor.

"Shit!"

My eyes darted from the battlefield and to the unconscious man, finally running over as I slid on my knees over to him, grabbing his shirt.

"Cover me!"

I dragged the unconscious civilian over the floor as the colonists try to take the heat off of him and me. I looked at Galen and yelled over to him.

"Where did Anderson and the wounded go!?"

Galen: Anderson? He was helping the two colonists take the wounded and the supplies over to the storage room near the hangar!

When I was far enough away, I put away my assault rifle, grabbed the civilian, and hoisted him onto my shoulder, running forward as fast as possible without tripping over myself or falling over.

"Rgh…"

I ran past the hangar and saw everyone in the storage room, the two-armed colonists attending to the wounded as best they could.

"Where's Anderson?"

One of the colonists looked up at me.

Colonist: Anderson? I think he's still in the hangar grabbing some things.

"All right."

I laid down the unconscious civilian and turned to find Anderson, but saw that my team of colonists had been pushed back slightly, the fighting mainly taking place in the docking port now. With a grunt, I made my way quickly over to the hangar, through the opening, and into the room.

"Anderson?"

Anderson was attending to some files that he was copying to his omni-tool. He turned to me.

Anderson: Lieutenant? What's going on?

"We need to get you to the storage room and lock it down quickly, we're being pushed ba-"

Anderson: Shepard! Look out!

I barely had time to react, only bending over slightly, until something hard hit me in the crook of my back and neck, pushing me forward and onto the floor.

"Agh…"

?: Rrgh… I remember you. You were the one who came around in the military base. Made a fool out of me and my men.

I turned onto my back, holding myself up with my elbows as I saw a familiar Batarian face and armor. I was looking at Bartok the Warlord, who had his pistol trained on me.

Bartok: Die, human scum.

**To Be Continued…**


	10. Chapter 10: For Elysium

**Mass Effect: The Requiem Saga: Genesis.  
****Volume 1.  
****Chapter 10.**

A barrel pointed straight at me. I had been shot at before on this day, but this was the first time I've felt helpless when a gun is pointed at me.

Bartok: Die, human scum.

**BRUHKOWH!**

His gunshot down at me, but using pure instinct, I rolled right out of the way and onto my knees.

"Anderson! Get down!"

I burst off my knees as he began to turn the gun toward me again and I grabbed his pistol, slamming him and the gun against the wall, pinching my fingers somewhat.

I punched him once in the face and then smashed my forearm onto the arm he was holding the gun with, breaking his grip with the pistol.

Bartok: Rrgh!

Bartok then slammed his elbow into my face, knocking me to the ground and causing me throw the pistol over the railing and down to the bottom of the hangar.

Bartok: All right, scum. You want to fight a warlord hand to hand?

I scrambled to my feet, looking at him in the eyes as he charged toward me.

Bartok: Then let us fight!

I moved out of the way as if I was bullfighter, then he immediately span around, trying to hit me with a swinging right hook, but missing by a mile.

"Hn!"

I kicked at his calf and he faltered, allowing me to come at him with a left jab, but with quite surprising strength, he just shoved me back, almost causing me to lose my footing.

Bartok: Grgh!

Bartok came in with a left hook to the body, hitting its mark, then a right one to my other side, hitting it as well.

"Guh!"

Bartok: Your kind is pathetic.

While I flinched in pain, he came at me with a hard left straight, dazing me to the point where I barely felt the pain of his next punch to my jaw, only the impact.

Bartok: Soft and weak. Tch.

I fell back onto the cover I had used earlier, grabbing it to stop me from hitting the floor.

Bartok: Graah!

I shot out a desperate thrust kick with my left foot into his stomach, hitting him and pushing him back slightly. I followed it up with an upwards-snap kick with my right.

Bartok: Hoofh!

Then, quick as anything, I flew forward with all my weight and landed a strong overhand haymaker with my right hand, knocking him straight to the floor.

Thank God for those self-defense classes, mom.

Bartok: Hnh. The human knows how to fight.

Before I could get into a ready position, he swept my legs out from under me, jumping onto me and began to rain down punches.

Bartok: Grgh! Rah! Die!

I defended, but I was getting hit enough times where it was hard to think of a way out of this. I attempted to grab one of his arms and go for a gogoplata of some sort, but he angrily swapped the attempt away and hit me again.

Bartok: Gah!

Bartok looked up, seeing Anderson who had hit him with a PDA in the back of the neck. Bartok stood up quickly, grabbing Anderson and throwing him to the floor.

Bartok: Fool!

Bartok attempted to go for a strike on the downed Anderson, but I leapt to my feet and tackled him full force in the back, but I went upward slightly, being able to push him into the air and next to the table filled with PDAs and other documents that Anderson was attending to. However, there were also a few weapons.

"Anderson, get the hell out of here!"

Anderson nodded after I helped him to his feet and limped out of the way.

Bartok: Fucking… humans…

Bartok stood up, nearly growling. He looked at the table and grabbed the grenade launcher that Anderson was saving up in case we needed it. He looked over at me and leveled his shot.

Bartok: Burn in hell!

Bartok pulled the trigger and the shot burst out of the barrel and toward me. I panicked, but it was slow enough that I was able to jump out of the way, hearing it shoot past me and hit a pair of docking clamps that held one side of a starship up.

The starship creaked as one side fell down as gravity began to affect it, ripping the other two docking clamps off as it fell. The starship fell down into the bottom of the hangar and an explosion erupted, the flames that licked at the bottom of the walkway taking the form of a spreading fire.

Bartok: Damn…

Bartok was getting ready to fire another shot at me, but by then, I was angry enough and was filled with enough adrenaline that I had already bolted over there and tackled him into the table.

He grunted in pain in response, throwing an elbow down onto my shoulder, which I met with a shoulder block into his stomach. I stood up, rearing to my side and coming back with a full-force right hook, then a left one. Both hitting their mark, he tried to retaliate with an uppercut to the gut, but I hit him with a forearm smash, causing him to fall back onto the table.

Bartok: Gah!

Bartok kicked his legs out and shot me backward and onto the floor. I stood up by rolling to the side quickly, finding myself near the railing and near where Jervis' body was. The Batarian warlord saw as my eyes caught on him.

Bartok: You'll be dead along with your human brethren soon enough, boy.

Bartok advanced and immediately, I shot a kick into his stomach, following it up by grabbing him by the armor and slamming him into the railing.

Bartok: Agh!

I let him fall to his knees, but he swung his fist back, striking me with enough force to break a bone in my stomach. I keeled over to the side, barely being able to keep on my feet. I don't think anything broke… I hope.

Bartok: Hrgh!

The warlord grabbed my arm I was holding my stomach with and wrenched it backwards, ripping off all the armor from my right shoulder downward. He was incredibly strong, even for someone of his race. Or maybe that was normal.

Bartok threw out a thrust kick into my side, pushing me onto the walkway and causing me to trip over Jervis. I was still clutching my stomach as I writhed on the floor from the pain.

Bartok: I can't wait to rip the eyes out of your corpse, cut off your head, and mail it back to your family.

My family… my father, my mother, my sister… I love them to death. They might be in another universe, in another time… but I can't let them down. I can't let anybody down. No matter where I am, what time I'm at, I have to keep going.

So I pushed myself back to my feet, despite my whole body screaming no at me, and looked around me. I was on a somewhat narrow walkway with railing on either side. I could charge, but there's a good chance he could throw me overboard by just overpowering me with his strength advantage.

Bartok: Oh, the little human wants to fight? Good, it's already boring enough fighting a human, one with no heart would be even worse.

So I tried something that I never thought I'd ever do. I saw something like this once in an MMA fight and my self-defense trainer was able to do this. I ran forward, but before he could retaliate, I jumped to the side, using my right foot to push off the barricade, and then kicked him hard through the head.

Bartok: Hrnh!

From the force of the kick, Bartok flipped straight over the railing. He was able to stop himself and grab onto the bars for a moment, but he fell down into the fires below. One leg was halfway over the railing from the kick, causing me to nearly fall over as I balanced and situated myself on the walkway.

Bartok: AAGHHH-…

His screaming faded out as the fires began to grow more intense. I looked at my arm first. It was exposed and it was my shooting arm, if something even grazed it, I'm done for. So I looked over to see Jervis' body on the walkway ahead of me.

I kneeled down beside him and looked at his right arm armor and his right shoulder pad. There was a red stripe inside of a white stripe that went all the way down. I noticed it before but didn't ask. I recognized it, but I couldn't put my finger on it, as my brain was too frazzled from the fight.

So I gingerly took off his right arm armor and put it on me, looking down at the red and white stripe and realizing that it looked pretty good on me.

Holy shit… I actually beat a trained soldier at his own game with a Hail Mary kick. I… I actually did it.

But it's no time to celebrate. The fight is still going on.

So I ran over to the table, grabbed the grenade launcher, and took cover near the exit of the hangar as the flames began to cover more and more ground.

Immediately, I saw a scene that caused me to flinch. The pirates had pushed back the colonists and Galen to the point where they were nearly directly in front of the room.

So… I took a deep breath, then ran forward and shot out a grenade, taking out maybe four or five of the many pirates.

Galen: Shepard!

The colonists nearly cheered, but were preoccupied with the battle.

"Push back! Push them back to the entrance! For your family, for your home, for Elysium!"

The colonists erupted in a passionate war cry as they went all out against the enemy, bursting with enough ferocity that the pirates began to slowly move back to the entrance with the aid of my carefully placed grenade launcher shots. I grabbed Galen's shoulder.

"Galen, get everyone in the storage room and you bring them out here. A fire is spreading and they may get caught up in it."

Galen: Roger. Leave it to me.

Galen ran back to attend to the wounded and Anderson as we continued to push forward.

Batarian: Don't fall back! Pus-

I shot a grenade at the Batarian's feet, taking him and two others out with the explosion. The pirates were losing morale quickly and were nearly retreating by this point.

"Push! This is our final stand! Push, dammit, push!"

I was screaming out orders and anything that I could think of, sending our colonists into a passionate and rage-filled frenzy as we ran them outside.

Then we saw outside and for a moment, we hesitated. Down the ramp leading to the docking port, many other troops were still waiting, an armored vehicle ready to pick us off was stationed, but we did not stop. We pushed on, taking cover as their full force and ours got into a full-blown firefight.

"Dammit… do not falter! Don't stop now, whatever you do! Go! Fire!"

We made our way onto the ramp, taking cover with whatever we could.

And then, suddenly, a concussive shot blew into my side. I flew back along with one other colonist, sliding across the floor from the shot.

"Hrrrnghhh…"

The air from my system had left me and I was gasping, clawing for breath. I watched the late night sky and the colonists as they continued firing as if I was still there leading them. It was… inspirational.

I looked down the ramp to see the armored vehicle come to life and it seemed to start moving to get its sights on me. I needed to move… but I couldn't. I'd already put my body through a lot and the lack of breath coupled with panic made it hard to move my upper body or lower body at all.

I clawed at the air for breath, my panic earlier already making it hard to breath, barely holding on when I noticed a sound.

"Ggh?"

The sound grew… and grew… until lights appeared. But those weren't just lights. They were explosions. Huge ones.

And then a cheer erupted as a barrage of artillery rained down from the sky, taking out the Batarians below. The armored vehicle exploded in a rain of sparks and fire as the continuous cheer continued.

I could see bursts of light in the night sky. Explosions of ships. Pirate ships.

More artillery fire throughout the colony came into vision when I looked up to see a starship, a frigate of some sort, firing down upon the pirates.

And the symbol on the side?

The Systems Alliance.

I… I did it. We did it… we held out… we won… we… hrngh… we…

And then everything faded into unconsciousness…

**To Be Continued…**


	11. Chapter 11: War Hero

**Mass Effect: The Requiem Saga: Genesis.  
****Volume 1.  
****Chapter 11.**

The black and swirling darkness of unconsciousness clouded my vision. You can't escape from this… yet I could hear voices. Voices speaking about me.

?: He rallied a resistance force…?

?: Took out the ground forces leader too. Bartok Ghornah.

?: Hm. Keep a tab on him. He could prove useful for something I'm working on.

?: Right.

~X~

**Beep… Beep… Beep…**

Another noise, however, this one was clearer. And it was the first thing that came back to me. Next the feeling in my body, after that the grimy taste in my mouth… then my eyes fluttered open.

"Rrnh?"

I sat up, grabbing my forehead and feeling the sudden and immense ache that coursed through me. It wasn't sharp pain, but it must have been an accumulation from all the bumps I took from the battle on Elysium.

Right… I was apart of The Skyllian Blitz. That's a very weird sentence to say. I fended off Batarian invaders along with the rest of the colony and a few trained individuals.

I can't believe we actually did it. I can't believe… I did something like that. I've never done something that important.

But… I've also never killed anyone before that. And I killed a lot of people. A lot of Batarians. Including Bartok… I almost died then.

"Sh-egh-shit…"

I grunted out shit as I sat up and swung my legs to the side of the bed. I grabbed the few wires attached to my body and felt an IV in my arm. I ripped it out quickly and wiped the area quickly. I hated needles. I… I had a phobia of them. And I know that sounds weird, but I really hate them.

?: Oh my God, Doctor! He's awake!

I looked over to see a nurse and a doctor rush into the room.

"Yeah… can someone get me some real clothes? This gown's a little breezy, if you get what I'm saying."

~X~

Several hours later, I was standing in my room, now wearing a Systems Alliance hoodie, a white t-shirt, and sweatpants. A doctor was finishing up my check up.

Doctor: You should be okay, there wasn't any terrible damage, and you were just beaten up. But you need to stay here a little longer.

"What?"

Doctor: Yeah, we have someone coming in to speak with you.

"Uh… who?"

I don't know anyone well enough for them to come here… well, I don't think I do.

?: That would be me.

I looked up to see a familiar face. David Anderson. I smiled.

"Captain Anderson… heh, it's good to see you."

I stood up and put out my hand and he shook it. He took a seat, seemingly in a pretty good mood. The doctor walked out.

Anderson: It's great to see you, Lieutenant. Or should I say, Commander?

"Hm?"

Anderson: Heh, I guess you came to not too long ago, huh? Haven't seen the news?

"No, I just put on real clothes like half an hour ago after going through a huge check up."

Anderson: Ah. Well, you're the talk of the Citadel. That's where we're on, by the way.

"Oh. Oh really?"

I looked around, amazed at where I was, despite actually being in a hospital room. With further examination, I realized I was in Huerta Memorial Hospital.

"I've never been here before…"

Anderson: Really? Thought you had been.

I shook my head and he shrugged.

Anderson: Well, I came here at the perfect time then, because I came here to give you the news.

"Oh."

Anderson: You've been promoted to Commander, Shepard. You've also been awarded The Star of Terra.

"Star of Terra… what is that again?"

Anderson: Heh, might be a bit dazed still, huh Commander? It's a medal of honor.

"Oh wow. Okay. Do I really even deserve that?"

Anderson: What are you talking about?

"It's just… you're the one who saved them. Put them in the docking port and all that. Shouldn't they be awarding you?"

Anderson: Commander, I helped them accidentally. I found the hatch that led to the tunnel during a fight where I got injured and then whoever was around helped gather people up and went down there. I didn't even help with that.

"Oh."

Anderson: You deserve it, Commander. Congratulations.

"Um… Shepard's fine, Captain."

Anderson: Then Anderson's fine.

Anderson stood up.

Anderson: When they heard you were up, they announced they'd be awarding The Star of Terra to you tonight. Hope you're okay with that.

"Oh. I uh… I don't have a suit. Or a uh… or a home."

Anderson: Yes, we seem to have found that is the case with most of the people who were on Elysium.

Anderson sighed.

Anderson: All right, how about this? We'll put you up in a room in a hotel somewhere on the station, we'll get you a suit, and you'll accept your award tonight then go back to your room until we know what to do with you.

"I uh… okay, Anderson. Thanks."

Anderson: Don't thank me, thank command. They'll be the ones paying for it.

"Heh. Okay."

Anderson: I'll make a quick call and then I'll take you to get your suit and we'll get to the award ceremony.

I nodded and stood up, still achey. I followed him out of the room and began to think about where I'm really at right now. The Citadel. Even before… well… this, I've always thought what it would be like to go here.

I might as well enjoy it.

~X~

I walked out of the dressing room with the woman who had given me my suit, standing in the middle of a shop. Anderson had gone to a hotel nearby to register me for my hotel room.

I looked at myself in the mirror. A military man's suit, blue with yellow outlines and shoulder pads, and a Systems Alliance symbol on its breast. Another thing that I could recall from memory. It looked good. It looked professional.

But yeah, luckily enough, they had one in store for me and it looked good. Couldn't really ask for anything more suit-wise. So I turned to the lady.

"Looks great."

She smiled and brought me over to ring me up.

Lady: Hey, you're that guy from the news, right?

News story? When have I been… oh. Right.

"Oh uh, right. That's probably been me."

The lady's face lit up.

Lady: Wow. We have a real hero shopping here. Thank you for your service, Commander Shepard.

Hero? …No. No I'm not a hero. I'm not a hero in the slightest. I'm lucky. Jervis Proctor was a hero. Vahan Octavian was a hero. I'm just a guy who got shot last. But, at least for now, I am technically serving with The Systems Alliance. So…

"Yeah… right."

I was about to walk off when I had a huge smile grow on my face.

"Ah… Miss, would you like free endorsement?"

~X~

I walked out of the store to see Anderson waiting near a… a flying cab. Okay, I know it's the future and shit, but I'm really going to have to get used to flying cars. I walked up to him when, over the store's speakers, my endorsement played.

"I'm Commander Shepard and this is my favorite store on The Citadel."

Anderson: Really, Shepard?

"Hey… she uh… she asked."

No she didn't.

Anderson: All right, let's just get going.

~X~

We stood in The Council Chambers on The Petitioner's Stage, seeing the room fill up with various men and women, about half of them military, others look like family members.

?: Ah, Shepard.

I turned to the sound of my name to see Galen, in formal attire, walking up the stairs to The Petitioner's Stage.

Galen: How are you?

Galen and I shook hands, both of us smiling at seeing each other.

"I'm doing… surprisingly well. How about you?"

Galen: Great. I just got news today that I'm getting sent off on a special assignment.

"Care to share?"

Galen: Not allowed. Classified and all that.

"Ooo. Sounds fancy."

Galen: Heh, yeah.

Galen and I stood next to each other after he exchanged greetings with Anderson. We looked over the plaque of names next to us and we saw Vahan's.

"Hrm. Did you know him well?"

Galen: Not very, but well enough. He was a good man. Rough around the edges, but… good. I don't know if he had family or not. I don't think he did.

I felt an overwhelming tinge of guilt. I've been trying to hold back my emotions ever since I got here… I'll be able to manage but… damn it.

Galen: May his spirit find peace.

We talked until everyone was ordered to be seated. Four people stood up on the stage, Galen, Anderson, a guard, and I. The Turian Councilor stood to his feet.

Turian Councilor: We gather here to recognize the heroics and the deeds done by the men and women who fell during the now-dubbed Skyllian Blitz. Any soldier who serves their race is commendable, one who dies will forever be known as a hero. May their spirits find peace in the afterlife. We recognize…

And he began to list off names. To be honest, I didn't listen to most of it, I just looked out onto the crowd. Sad people, some were crying, some were stone-faced, and others looked broken as people. It was just… I could barely handle it.

Turian Councilor: And, along with the remembrance of the dead, we celebrate the survivors. Most particularly, one human stands from the rest. In a time of panic, disorder, fear, and chaos, he stood against the madness and rose up, rallying a resistance force, and saving what was left of the civilian populous of Elysium.

The Turian Councilor handed Anderson a box, who took the main stage.

Anderson: For going beyond and above the call of duty and his courageous and distinguished service, Commander Shepard has been promoted to Commander and…

Captain Anderson opened up the box and presented me with a medal. The medal was an upside down star with The Systems Alliance symbol in the middle of it, surrounded by a circle of stars, and wing design coming off of the star, the whole thing colored different shades of gold and silver. It was quite a beautiful award.

Anderson: Please, accept this medal in honor of those who had given their lives to protect and serve The Systems Alliance and Elysium.

Anderson pinned on the medal to my suit and patted me on the shoulder. As I did so, I gained a round of applause from the audience. The military and those who had their family members died eventually stood up, applauding and clapping… for me. I… I didn't know how to react. I just cracked a small smile, nervously shuffling my feet with my hands behind my back.

It died down soon enough and the ceremony went on without a hitch.

~X~

I walked into my hotel room without a piece of luggage at all. Hell, I only had one other pair of clothes and a pair of blues that Anderson had gotten me after the ceremony.

Anderson stood at the door, handing me the pair of blues and my room key.

Anderson: I'll contact you in a few days. You've earned a little bit of shore leave.

"Thanks. I really mean that, Anderson. For everything. The suit, the cab, the room, the blues… it means a lot."

I put my hand on the back of my neck.

"I uh… I don't have a lot of people left in the world now. So… yeah. Stuff like this means the world to me."

Anderson just gave me a warm, father-like smile and pat me on the shoulder.

Anderson: Don't mention it at all, okay? It's the least I could do for a brother in arms.

"Right. Still, thanks again."

Anderson: Well… I'll be going. It'd be good to get some sleep now.

"See you later."

Anderson then head down the hall, walked into the elevator, and went on his way.

I closed the door and sat on the edge of my bed, assorting my clothes into the drawers of the room. It was nice. Simple, two rooms with a television, a night stand, a couch, a bathroom, and a bed. That was pretty much it.

After getting changed out of the suit and into just the sweatpants I got earlier that day, I thought about what I had said to Anderson for a moment.

Did I have people here? I don't know my background… I know I'm a 'war hero' but… what was my origin here? In this world?

I grabbed my omnitool and after fiddling around with it, I found what looked to be my biography. I read through it and basically picked up this…

By God…

**Commander Shepard was born and raised on Mindoir, a small border colony in the Attican Traverse. When he was sixteen, slavers raided Mindoir, slaughtering his family and friends. He was saved by a passing Alliance patrol, and he enlisted with the military a few years later.**

I… Ah… I didn't have family… the last of the friends I had in this universe died on Elysium… I…

And I couldn't hold back anymore.

I closed the biography and every single emotion I had pent up in the last few days, the anger, the sadness, and the fear released and I began to cry. I crawled up onto the bed, clutching at the covers as tears rolled from my eyes as I sobbed louder than I ever had before. I've never felt worse in my entire life.

I was alone.

~X~

_Well… what about Shepard? He grew up in the colonies._

_I know him well. He knows how tough life can be out there. His parents were killed when slavers attacked Mindoir._

_We all know he proved himself during The Blitz. Held off enemy forces on the ground until reinforcements arrived._

_He's the only reason Elysium is still standing._

_We can't question his courage._

_Humanity needs a hero. And it seems like Shepard's the best we've got._

_I'll make the call._

**To Be Continued in Volume 2…**

* * *

_Hey Guys!_

_Woof! That first volume was fun to write._

_I can't wait to continue the series, you might be able to see where I'm going with this kind of story, but don't worry, I'll be switching it up on you enough so that it stays fresh. _

_I hope you guys love this as much as I do because I'm really enjoying writing it and would love more feedback from you guys. I'm mainly motivated by my own love for the story and the will to right, but you guys help me along substantially._

_Can't wait to start on the next volume and let you guys see what I've got planned. Chapter 12 might get done tonight, but definitely tomorrow._

_And, every one of the chapters has been about six pages so far, I will be going into longer and longer chapters as the dialogue from the game is much more extensive._

_But so far, super happy with the feedback and how much people people have been loving it. Keep on keeping on, people._

_Thanks,_  
_Wesky._


	12. Chapter 12: Forgetting Reality

**Mass Effect: The Requiem Saga: Genesis.  
****Volume 2.  
****Chapter 12.**

I walked into the docking port of The Citadel, holding a duffle bag. I was dressed in the blues that Anderson had given me a couple of days ago and was a little bit awed. The last time I was in a docking port of any sort, the only time, I was fighting for my life against Batarian pirates. Now? Now it was beautiful Large starships as far as the eye can see.

Something has been happening recently. I've started to forget what happened in the trilogy of games. I can't actually remember any of their endings, the twists, hell, even the villains. Maybe it's because I've been a bit traumatized as of late, but maybe it has to do with that this is not even my own reality. I could remember the faces, the crewmembers, some of the ways I might have to act, but other than that? It was all dark. I guess I really am becoming Commander Shepard.

So… a new journey. A new mission. One I don't know to actually go about in. I hope maybe muscle memory reminds me or something but… this is kind of exciting in a way.

Let's see how this goes.

Yesterday, I received very big news. Anderson gave it to me personally, telling me that I was assigned to The Normandy as his first officer.

And then… there she was. The Normandy. The SSV Normandy. The most beautiful starship I've ever seen or had the privilege to lay eyes on.

"Wow…"

~X~

I found myself looking out the port windows on the CIC a while after we had taken off. I'm in fucking space! This is like one of those things that you've always kind of wanted to do, but have never been able to. Anderson had given me a new set of armor similar to the one I had gotten previously, but I asked for a blue stripe instead of red on my right arm. He obliged. So far, I'm digging it.

But eventually, I tore myself away. Anderson wanted me to adjust to the whole ship, not space. Or the windows to space.

I looked around. A lot of people. Too many to go around speaking to right now, especially while they're busy. So I decided to go to one section I might have some luck with. The cockpit. Maybe I'd find Anderson there.

The pilot's voice came over the intercoms. Oh boy. I recognized that voice very well.

Joker: The Arcturus Prime relay is in range. Initiating transmission sequence.

I walked past the Galaxy Map, bumping into a corporal who must have known about me, addressing me as 'Commander'.

Joker: We are connected. Calculating transit mass and destination.

I walked up the small ramp and began my way down the hallway to the cockpit.

Joker: The relay is hot. Acquiring approach vector.

Six people on either side of me in the hallway to the cockpit, all working hard, barely registering the world around me.

Joker: All stations secure for transit.

Walking past a guard in an earpiece, I saw a scene that was familiar, yet I'd never been there before personally. Jeff 'Joker' Moreau and Kaidan Alenko were sitting together, being observed by someone else, a Turian that I remember being told was named Nihlus Kryik. Standing next to him, I looked outside the cockpit window, feeling an overwhelming sense of pride and determination, knowing I was embarking on a new mission. I'd never felt like this before.

Joker: The board is green. Approach run has begun.

We closed in quickly on The Mass Effect Relay, which is hard to describe in a first person view other than a beautiful piece of technology, and flew next to it.

Joker: Hitting the relay in 3… 2… 1…

So close now that the light was making it a little bit hard to keep my eyes all the way open, we caught a thread of Mass Effect energy and our ship was engulfed in it. I heard the energy flow through The Normandy before we shot off into space, leaving behind a trail of light.

Joker: Thrusters, check. Navigation... check. Internal emissions sink engaged. All systems online. Drift… just under 1500 K.

Nihlus: 1500 is good. Your captain will be pleased.

Nihlus walked away to wherever he had to go and I stood there in awkward silence. Joker turned back to his station.

Joker: I hate that guy.

The Staff Lieutenant, Kaidan Alenko, raised his eyebrows at Joker.

Kaidan: Tch. Nihlus just gave you a compliment… so you hate him?

Joker turned to Kaidan.

Joker: You remember to zip up your jumpsuit on the way out of the bathroom? That's good. I just jumped us halfway across the galaxy and hit the target the size of a pinhead. So that's incredible!

Joker, once again, went back to his station.

Joker: Besides, Spectres are trouble, I don't like having him on board. Call me paranoid.

Kaidan: You're paranoid. The Council helped fund this project. They have a right to send someone to keep an eye on their investment.

Joker: Yeah, that is the official story. But only an idiot believes the official story.

I stood there awkwardly, not really knowing what to say. I don't think they even noticed me. So I blurted out something as Joker finished. I didn't want to get on anybody's bad side, but I did have my own opinion about this.

"I uh… um… it's kinda weird that a Spectre is here just to inspect the ship, right? Shouldn't they be… I don't know, shooting bad guys?"

Joker and Kaidan finally noticed me, both turning their heads around to give me a good look. Joker immediately didn't seem that impressed, but Kaidan just seemed neutral at this point. I think he might have heard I was taking over as Second-In-Command of The Normandy.

Joker: Right… who're you?

"Oh uh… Shepard. Commander Sam Shepard. I'm the new Second-In-Command."

Kaidan: You were on the news, weren't you? Yeah… yeah I remember you. They gave you The Star of Terra.

Joker: Shit, really? What'd you do, stab a Batarian leader to death?

"Sorta. I knocked him into a fire."

Joker: Oh. Oh wow.

"Heh, just kidding. I mean, well, I did sort of do that, but yeah."

Kaidan: He rallied a resistance force and held off Batarian Pirates until reinforcements arrived. Basically saved the colony.

Joker: Damn, not bad.

"It was nothing. But uh… who are you guys?"

I knew them from the games… but I had to act like I didn't. Yet I didn't even know what happened in the games anymore. And I'm slowly losing knowledge of the games. I think I'll just know it's a different universe at one point. This is a little scary, I'll admit.

Joker: Call me Joker. I'm the pilot.

Kaidan: Staff Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko, Sir.

"Cool."

Joker: But anyway, I knew there was more going on here than the captain's letting on.

Suddenly, nearly cutting Joker off, Captain Anderson came in over the comms on Joker's station. I inhaled sharply, surprised to hear a voice coming out of nowhere. Kaidan smirked at my reaction.

Anderson: Good. Find a comm buoy and link us to the network. I want mission reports relayed back to Alliance brass before we reach Eden Prime.

That's another thing I've been familiarizing myself with during shore leave. Modern lingo and military phrases/slang. I think I've been able to pick up most of them, but it's still a little confusing.

Joker: Aye, aye, Captain. Better brace yourself, Sir. I think Nihlus is headed your way.

Nihlus: He's already here, lieutenant.

Kaidan and I burst into a sudden fit of laughs, Joker giving us a dirty look. It was too good to not laugh at, man.

Anderson: And tell Commander Shepard to meet me in the comm room for a debriefing.

Joker: You get that, Commander?

"Shit, he sounds pissed. Did I do something wrong already?"

Joker chuckled.

Joker: Don't worry. The Captain always sounds like that when he's talking to me.

Kaidan: I can't possibly imagine why.

Kaidan and I shared a knowing look while I walked out of the cockpit and back into the main part of the CIC. I overheard a man say something to someone else on a call while walking onto the CIC. I recognized their voices immediately, very distinct.

Pressly: I'm telling you, I just saw him! He marched by like he was on a mission.

Adams: He's a spectre. They're always on a mission.

Pressly: And we're getting dragged right along with him!

I walked up to Navigator Pressly and tapped him on the shoulder, getting his attention.

Pressly: Oh, Commander. Congratulations on the award and the new place on this ship. Looks like we had a smooth run. You heading down to see the captain?

"Thanks. Pressly, was it?"

Pressly: Yes, Navigator Charles Pressly. And you're Commander Sam Shepard.

"Mmhm. I walked by and I heard you were complaining about something, what's up?"

Pressly: Huh? Oh right… well, sorry Commander. Just having a chat with Adams down in engineering. Didn't mean to cause any trouble.

Pressly's atmosphere changed from apologetic to a more justifying one.

Pressly: But… you have to admit. Something's odd about this mission. The whole crew feels it.

"You think something else is going on? Like… Anderson holding out on us or something?"

Pressly: I don't know about Anderson… but maybe Alliance brass. If all we're supposed to do is test out the stealth system and all that, why is Captain Anderson in charge? And then there's Nihlus! Spectres are elite operatives. Top covert agents. Why send a Spectre-a turian Spectre-on a shakedown run? I just don't think it adds up. But I don't really know. Something just seems fishy, Commander.

"Do you not like the Captain?

Pressly: I do, Sir. I do. But I can't figure out what he's doing here. Captain Anderson is one of the most decorated Special Forces officers in the service. If he melted down all his medals, he could make a life-size statue of himself. You don't send a soldier like that on a do-nothing mission. He's treating this shakedown run too seriously. Something big is going on.

"So… what, if not the captain, you don't trust Nihlus?"

Pressly: I don't like turians in general.

I nearly froze up at that. Is it okay to just be… racist to other species nowadays? Or at least more acceptable?

Pressly: Runs in my family. My grandfather fought in the First Contact War; lost a lot of friends when the turians hit us.

"I guess you have the right to think whatever. But it did happen a long time ago."

Pressly: I guess so. But it still makes me nervous to have a Spectre on board, especially a turian one. We're an Alliance vessel, human military. But Nihlus doesn't answer to the captain like the rest of us. Spectres operate outside the normal chain of command. And they don't' come along just to observe shakedown runs. Nihlus looks like he's expecting some heavy action. I don't like it, Commander.

"What about the stealth systems? We're testing them out, right? What are they like?"

I felt like an inquisitive asshole, but it always helps to know everything about a mission, something Anderson told me when I asked him for advice a few days ago. So hopefully people will get used to it.

Pressly: I just know it masks our locations from scans and sensors. Cutting edge technology. The Normandy's the only ship with this prototype drive. But why are we fully staffed? A skeleton crew would be cheaper. Less chance of security leaks, too. Plus, there's Nihlus. It's pretty obvious this shakedown run is just a cover.

"For?"

Pressly: Damned if I know, Commander. We're out here on false pretenses. I'm not a fan of being left in the dark.

"I uh… I'm going to go see the Captain now, so, I'll ask him about it. If I find out anything, I'll try and tell you about it, okay?"

Pressly: That'd be nice. Thanks and good luck, Commander.

Walking away from Navigator Pressly, I overheard another person speaking about something interesting on my way to the comm room. A younger voice this time, one I actually didn't recognize. So I turned and looked, still not actually recognizing the guy. But he was young for sure. Younger than me, possibly.

Young Man: I grew up on Eden Prime, Doc. It's not the kind of place Spectres visit. There's something Nihlus isn't telling us about this mission.

But beside him, there was someone I did recognize. Dr. Karin Chakwas.

Doctor Chakwas: That's crazy. The captain's in charge here. He wouldn't take orders from a Spectre.

Young Man: Not his choice, Doc. Spectres don't answer to anyone. They can do whatever they want. Kill anyone who gets in their way.

Doctor Chakwas: Ha! You watch too many spy vids, Jenkins!

The Young Man who saw me watching waved me over. I walked to him and, reading his nametag, I saw he was Corporal Jenkins.

Corporal Jenkins: You're our new second-in-command, right? Commander Shepard? What do you think? We won't be staying on Eden Prime too long, will we? I'm itching for some real action!

Action? You want to kill and shoot people to death? He wants to grab someone and beat them to death because, if he doesn't, he could kill you and your friends? Is that really what he wanted?

I wanted to grab this little shit and beat his ass.

Doctor Chakwas: I sincerely hope you're kidding, Corporal. Your 'real action' usually ends with me patching up crew members in the infirmary.

I saw Dr. Chakwas making banter with Corporal Jenkins and I calmed down. Right. He's new. He doesn't understand yet.

"Heh… right…"

I cleared my throat.

"Just cool it with the action shit, all right?"

Corporal Jenkins: Oh… yeah, sorry Commander. But this waiting's killing me. I've never been on a mission like this before. Not one with a Spectre on board!

"Uhuh."

I had to clear my throat again, then decided I might as well make some small talk.

"So… you said you're from Eden Prime?"

Corporal Jenkins: It's very peaceful, Commander. They've been real careful with development, so you don't have any city noise or pollution. My parents live on the outskirts of the colony. At night, I used to climb this big hill and stare across the fields back at the lights from the main settlement. It was gorgeous. But ya know, when I got older, I realized it was a little too calm and quiet for me. That's why I joined the Alliance. Even paradise gets boring after a while.

"Well then do you have any idea why we're going there?"

Corporal Jenkins: Not really sure, Commander. Eden Prime's one of our most stable colonies. Good place to take The Normandy for her shakedown run, I guess. No real danger there. But there's got to be something else going on. We've got a Spectre on board! That's why I'm so wound up. I can't wait for the real mission to start!

"Just… you know, be cool as I said before, uh… you'll be okay. Cool?"

Corporal Jenkins: Easy for you to say. You proved yourself in the Blitz. Everybody knows what you can do.

Everyone knows what I can do… huh? I can let my friends die in front of me… I can watch as innocent people are shot to death and get a little lucky with a few fights? Yeah. Yeah I guess they do know.

Corporal Jenkins: This is my big chance! I need to show the brass what I can do!

I admit, I lashed out a bit.

"The mission is not about you getting the spotlight, Jenkins. Don't do something stupid and get your ass shot, then get all of us shot!"

Corporal Jenkins: Don't worry, Sir. I'm not going to screw this up.

Stupid kid. I decided to turn to Dr. Chakwas for a moment.

"What about the Spectres? I want to get a bit more info on Nihlus, anything can help."

Doctor Chakwas: Only what I've heard. Spectre agents work directly for the Citadel Council. They usually work alone or in small groups. Spectres don't have any official power, though. Basically, they're a shadow organization with a mandate to preserve and protect galactic stability.

Corporal Jenkins: protect it at any cost. Don't forget that part. Spectres operate above the law!

"So they don't have… a limit to their power? Jesus, what if you can't control one?"

Doctor Chakwas: I suppose the Council would revoke the status of an agent who got out of hand. At that point, Citadel Security Services would take over.

Corporal Jenkins: Those C-Sec grunts wouldn't stand a chance. A Spectre's worth twenty ordinary soldiers. The Spectres police themselves. An agent goes rogue, they send another agent to take 'em down. That's Spectre justice!

"Spectre justice? That's…"

Doctor Chakwas: The Corporal is confusing romantic legends with reality, Commander.

"Any human ones?"

I think I already knew the answer.

Doctor Chakwas: Spectres usually come from Council races. Like the turians. We've been trying to get a human accepted into their ranks for years now. So far, it hasn't happened.

Corporal Jenkins: You'd make a good Spectre, Commander! You're a war hero, right?

"No."

Corporal Jenkins : Well, you still Hheld off an entire enemy fleet during the Blitz single-handed. That's the talent the Spectres are looking for.

Doctor Chakwas: This is all just wild speculations. The Spectres aren't interested in recruiting humans. No matter how capable.

"What about Nihlus? People are nervous about him specifically."

Doctor Chakwas: Because he's a turian? That's always been odd to me. Turians are generally well respected by other species. Their fleet has more patrols protecting Citadel space than any other. They don't always get on well with us, though. Some people find them too rigid. Others still blame them for the First Contact War. As for Nihlus, I haven't said more than two words to him. He usually only speaks to the captain.

Corporal Jenkins: I hope we get a chance to see him in action. I heard Nihlus took down an entire enemy platoon all by himself!

I just remembered that the captain was waiting for me as Jenkins finished.

"Damn, I have to go. Keeping the captain waiting."

Doctor Chakwas: Goodbye, Commander.

I walked past them and into a room guarded by two soldiers. I went into a circular room with Nihlus watching a screen of Eden Prime. As he heard me come in, he turned to me.

Nihlus: Commander Shepard. I was hoping you'd get here first. It will give us a chance to talk.

"Oh, I was expecting the captain."

Nihlus: He's on his way. But in the meantime, I'm interested in this world we're going to – Eden Prime. I've heard it's quite beautiful.

"I actually don't know. I've heard it's pretty beautiful, but I've never been there myself."

Nihlus: But you know of it, right? It's become something od a symbol for your people, hasn't it? Proof that humanity can not only establish colonies across the galaxy, but also protect them. But how safe is it, really?

"What's going on here? Why are you asking about it?"

Nihlus: Your people are still newcomers, Shepard. The galaxy can be a very dangerous place. Is the Alliance truly ready for this?

And right then, the captain had walked in on us.

Anderson: I think it's time we told the commander what's really going on.

Nihlus: This mission is far more than a simple shakedown run.

"Oh… well… are you going to tell me what it is?"

Anderson: We're making a covert pick-up on Eden Prime. That's why we needed the stealth systems operational.

"Well… makes enough sense. But why haven't you told any of the crew? They're all worried and talking about it."

Anderson: This comes down from the top, Commander. Information strictly on a need-to-know basis.

Anderson walked over next to Nihlus.

Anderson: A research team on Eden Prime unearthed some kind of beacon during an excavation. It was Prothean.

"Didn't they… go away a long time ago? Or died? Or whatever?"

Nihlus: Their legacy still remains. The mass relays, The Citadel, our ship drives – it's all based on Prothean technology.

Anderson: This is big, Shepard. The last time humanity made a discovery like this, it jumped our technology forward two hundred years. But Eden prime doesn't have the facilities to handle something like this. We need to bring the beacon back to The Citadel for proper study.

Nihlus: Obviously, this goes beyond mere human interests, Commander. This discovery could affect every species in Council space.

This was a lot to take in at once.

"Well, not saying we would or anything, but uh, why didn't we cash that in? Keep it, I mean?"

Nihlus: You humans don't have the best reputation. Some species see you as selfish. Too unpredictable. Too independent. Even dangerous.

Anderson: Sharing that beacon will improve relations with the Council. Plus, we need their scientific expertise. They know more about the Protheans than we do.

Nihlus took a few steps forward, looking at me.

Nihlus: The beacon's not the only reason I'm here, Shepard.

"Sorry, Nihlus, I'm not into other guys. Cool if you are, but not me. And it's nothing to do with your race or anything, don't take it that way."

Nihlus: Wh… what?

"Sorry. Humor is something I do when I'm nervous."

Nihlus: You call that humor?

"Uh…"

Nihlus: Nevermind.

Anderson: Nihlus wants to see you in action. Commander. He's here to evaluate you.

"I know, didn't you see that look? My waist is a 34, bud. Keep your eyes up."

Anderson: Shepard…

"Sorry. I'll stop. It was pretty good though. But really, what's going on?"

Anderson: The Alliance has been pushing for this for a long time. Humanity wants a larger role in shaping interstellar policy. We want more say with the Citadel Council. The Spectres represent the Council's power and authority. If they accept a human into their ranks, it shows how far the Alliance has come.

Nihlus: You held off an enemy assault during The Blitz single-handed. You showed not only courage but also incredible skill.

"Not by myself. I had help."

Nihlus: The point stands. And that is why I put your name forward as a candidate for the Spectres.

"Whoa, wait, why would a Turian want… well… a human in the Spectres? Let alone me?"

Nihlus: Not all turians resent humanity. Some of see the potential of your species. We see what you have to offer to the rest of the galaxy… and to the Spectres. We are an elite group. It's rare to find an individual with the skills we seek. I don't care that you're human, Shepard. I only care than you can do the job.

"Is… is that okay? For the Alliance and… well, me?"

Anderson: Earth needs this, Shepard. We're counting on you.

Nihlus: I need to see your skills for myself, Commander. Eden Prime will be the first of several missions together.

Oh wow. This guy was… elite and you could tell it just by the air he gives off. And I get to work with him. In a lot of ways, it was flattering and validating.

"Thank you, Nihlus."

Anderson: You'll be in charge of the ground team. Secure the beacon and get it onto the ship ASAP. Nihlus will accompany you to observe the mission.

"So… this beacon's pretty important, then?"

Nihlus: All advanced galactic civilization is based on Prothean technology. Even yours.

"So yes?"

Anderson: If we hadn't discovered those Prothean ruins buried on Mars, we'd still be stuck on Earth. That was just a small data cache. Who knows what we can learn from this beacon? What if it's a weapons archive? We can't let it fall into the wrong hands.

"So yes. Wait a second, wrong hands? Who is apart of 'The Wrong Hands'?"

Anderson: The Attican Traverse isn't the most stable sector of Citadel space. There are plenty of raiders and criminal groups active in the region. We're right on the border of The Terminus Systems.

"But… if they attacked, wouldn't it be war?"

Nihlus: Technically, yes. But some of the species in the Terminus might be willing to start a war over this.

Anderson: The last thing the Council wants is to get dragged into a major conflict with the Terminus Systems. We have to keep this low key.

"Right. Gotcha. Low key. I can do low key. And this was developed by the Protheans. I don't know much about them."

Anderson: Just what they taught us in school, probably no more than you. They were a technologically-advanced species that ruled the galaxy 50,000 years ago. Then they vanished. Nobody really knows how or why, but I've heard plenty of theories. But everyone agrees the galactic civilization wouldn't exist without them.

Nihlus: Their Citadel is the very heart of Galactic Society. And without their mass relays, interstellar travel would be impossible. We all owe the Protheans a great debt.

"All right, I'm done with all the questions for now, guys. I think I'll be ready to go whenever you are."

Anderson: We should be getting close to Eden–

Joker's voice came over the intercom, surprising me again. Even Nihlus cracked a smile, but Anderson was preoccupied.

Joker: Captain, we've got a problem.

Anderson: What's wrong Joker?

Joker: Transmission from Eden Prime, sir. You better see this!

Anderson: Bring it up on screen.

And immediately, a video began to play on the screen in front of us. It opened up and there were several soldiers firing at an unknown enemy, gunfire and explosions making it hard to hear what they were saying. A female soldier ran up to the man with the camera and shoved him to the ground, yelling…

Female Soldier: Get down!

The camera looked up at her as she shot against an unknown enemy. An explosion caused the man with the camera to be blown back as well as the female soldier, showing a blurred figures firing at them. The man continued filming, someone came up to the camera to explain, but immediately was grabbed and slammed into the ground by a larger blurred figure. The man fell to the ground and another soldier came into explain.

Officer: We are under attack! Taking heavy casualties. I repeat: heavy casualties! We can't… arrgh!... –eed evac! They came out of nowhere. We need–

The soldier was shot in the back of the head, falling onto the cameraman. The cameraman jumped to his feet and panned around to the soldiers who were nearly frozen in place. It looked up to the sky and we all saw something terrible. I didn't know what it was… but I recognized it. And I was scared of it.

A massive ship began to descend out of the sky, coming out of the clouds, lighting striking it with every sharp movement, and extending itself as if it were a clawed hand reaching to tear apart the Earth. It felt god-like in its appearance, probably a kilometer or two long. It made a horrid sound, one that took my breath away. It sounded like a scream. No, not a scream, a roar. It descended onto the earth, and with a barrage of artillery, the transmission was cut off.

A silence enveloped the room as we looked at each other.

Joker: Everything cuts out after that. No comm traffic at all. Just goes dead. There's nothing.

Anderson: Reverse and hold at 38.5.

The ship came onto the screen.

We stared.

What in the hell was this?

Anderson: Status report!

Joker: Seventeen minutes out, Captain. No other Alliance ships in the area.

Anderson: Take us in, Joker. Fast and quiet.

Anderson sighed deeply, thinking.

Anderson: This mission just got a lot more complicated…

Nihlus: A small strike team can move quickly without drawing attention. It's our best chance to secure the beacon.

Anderson turned to Nihlus.

Anderson: Grab your gear and meet us in the cargo hold.

Nihlus walked out of the room, then Anderson looked to me.

Anderson: Tell Alenko and Jenkins to suit up, Commander. You're going in.

I took a step forward and stared at it. I recognized it. I swear. But I didn't know what it was. I didn't... but maybe… maybe earlier I did. I don't know.

I only knew two things about it at this point that popped up in my head.

I'm scared of it.

And I want to destroy it.

**To Be Continued…**

* * *

_Hey Everyone, _

_Woofh. Okay. Just spent about five to six hours working on this bad boy. Longest chapter I've written for this series by far and the longest I've written for this website as well. Over double the length of biggest chapter for the series so far in page count and probably double to triple the amount in word count.  
_

_So, basically, how I've been writing it is that I've been playing through the game and pausing at every dialogue option to write it down in the story. I kind of thought it would be much easier than it actually is, but I just went through the beginning section of this and it took me about four hours to get through it and write everything down. And that was with constant, constant diligence and not even looking up from my computer or TV screen while I was doing it. It was actually quite a lot of fun and I'm relieved now, but I'm tired now as it took a lot out of me._

_I'm having a bunch of fun with it, but I realized something. I can't do this every day like I've been doing with the chapters previously. It's just not possible to consistently do this. So expect these chapters to come out every few days, maybe longer on a busy week. I have lots of other things to do, including work. Don't worry, the chapters will still come out consistently and thoroughly thought-through, but it's just going to take a little while longer. I haven't lost inspiration or hope yet._

_I also thought this would be a fun way to play through the series again, however, it's a bit grating to stop at every single dialogue choice in the entire game, which is quite a lot of it. And I'm thinking about doing this for the rest of this game and the next two to continue the series and that's nearly three hundred hours (adding up my total playtimes previously) plus stopping at every second might double it to six hundred. Divide 300 by 24, you get 12.5, divide 600 by 24 and you get 25. That's twenty five days worth of work that I will not be able to do all in one go, believe it or not._

_So, what I've decided to do is play through all of the games and then do this again, because I want to have fun with The Mass Effect Trilogy before I have to use it to work on this. So it might be a few days until the next chapter due to playing games, work, and trying to write as much as I can._

_Besides the scheduling part of it, I'm going to be writing another series that I've had in the works for a while. It's about another particular Bioware franchise that you people may or may not be fans of. Dragon Age! It takes place after the first game and has to do with a new menace to Ferelden and Thedas in general. The series is called... _

_Dragon Age: Nightmare_

_What I'll be doing with this, is writing a few chapters and posting them. If people like it, I'll continue with it along with Mass Effect: The Requiem Saga: Genesis. If people don't, I might not continue with it or might cut back on it._

_Now, about the actual series, as you can see, this is how it's going to be from now on. Dialogue and Shepard responding to it. However, don't worry, **this is not**** a re-telling of the game****, ****I'm going to have Shepard go through side stories that have to do with all new villains, have new scenes with companions, he'll meet new people, have to fight new custom enemies, all the fighting scenes will be different, hell, depending on what happens, I may re-write a bit of dialogue according to the situation**. I have a lot of cool stories that'll be riddled through all three parts and new antagonists to throw at Shepard and his companions. Bunches of fun things are going to go down. It's definitely not a re-telling, it's just what would happen if a fan got put into this situation._

_And to address this, I'm having Shepard mostly forget the story of The Mass Effect Trilogy except for a few key things here and there. The reason being, if he already knows what to do, he could already tell The Council what to do, they could start working on The Crucible now, and bam, the whole thing's over before it begins. So, Sam Shepard is forgetting most of the story because of the warp between realities, now adding shock value to his character and to make the story interesting for people who have played the games and people who haven't. So, that's happening._

_Also, if any of you have ideas for love interests, don't hesitate to tell me. I have my own ideas for what's going to happen, but suggestions are welcome!_

_So yeah, there's a lot coming. Hope you're liking it so far and the direction it's going._

_Thanks,  
Wesky._


	13. Chapter 13: Under Control

**Mass Effect: The Requiem Saga: Genesis.  
****Volume 2.  
****Chapter 13.**

Joker: Engaging stealth systems…

The Normandy flies into Eden Prime's atmosphere as the colony begins to take shape.

Joker: Somebody was doing some serious digging here, Captain.

Down in the cargo bay of The Normandy, I was standing in the cargo bay along with Kaidan, Jenkins, Nihlus, and Captain Anderson. We were all suited up in our armor at this point, Kaidan was in the process of checking his weapons to make sure everything in order while Jenkins was just bouncing nervously, or excitedly, around.

Anderson had turned to us at this point, now taking the time to speak loudly, as The Normandy was making quite a lot of noise.

Anderson: Your team's the muscle in this operation, Shepard. Go in heavy and head straight for the dig site!

Kaidan finished checking his weapons, walking up beside me.

Kaidan: What about survivors, Captain?

Anderson: Helping survivors is a secondary objective! The beacon's your top priority!

Kaidan looked a little disgruntled with that, but Joker's voice came over the intercom, cutting the conversation off.

Joker: Approaching drop point one.

Jenkins turned to Nihlus, who had also finished his preparations.

Jenkins: Nihlus? You're coming with us?

Nihlus looked at his shotgun for a moment before jogging forward, yelling back…

Nihlus: I move faster on my own!

Nihlus then jumped off the cargo bay, Anderson spoke up again.

Anderson: Nihlus will scout out ahead. He'll feed you status reports throughout the mission; otherwise, I want radio silence!

"Right. Well… we'll try and have his back!"

Anderson patted me roughly on the shoulder.

Anderson: The mission's yours now, Shepard. Good luck!

The Normandy swooped in low once more, the sounds of battle going on down below.

Joker: We are approaching drop point two…

The Normandy slowly dropped to the ground, but at about the height of thirty feet, Joker's voice came over the intercom.

Joker: Commander, we've got a situation.

"What?"

Joker: The ground's too hot, I can't go in without risking the ship.

"Dammit."

I looked around to see what we could do and then it struck me.

"Uh… go about ten feet to… your left.

Joker: Uh…

Joker tried his best to comply and then we were stationed right in front of a tree.

"Perfect!"

I looked at the two men under my command, took a deep breath, and ran forward. They tried to grab me, confused on what I was doing.

Kaidan: Uh… Commander!?

I leaped from the edge of the cargo hold to the tree, grabbing the branches as my body swung forward. I kept myself in place, finding my balance. I don't know why I thought of that, but I guess it worked.

"All right… now you two!"

I started to climb down and sure enough, Jenkins and Kaidan followed suit. The cargo bay door closed up above us and The Normandy flew off.

Jenkins: Good thinking, Commander.

"It was nothing."

We stood in the middle of a clearing in the nature around us near the edge of a cliff. We took a look around.

Kaidan: Ship perimeter secure, Commander.

"Good…"

Nihlus chimed in over the intercom as we all pulled out our weapons.

Nihlus: This place got hit hard, Commander. Hostiles everywhere. Keep your guard up.

I didn't respond to him as the channel was cut off, but we took a few more moments just to scan the area, seeing a pathway out of the clearing. But even though we took that into account, the actual scene around us shook us a little bit.

Jenkins: Oh God… what happened here?

Kaidan: I don't know… Smells like smoke and death. I don't think Eden Prime will ever be the same again.

"Probably that damn ship's fault…"

We moved quickly to the pathway, but we were stopped by… some odd little floaty things.

Kaidan: What the hell are those?

Jenkins: Gas bags. Don't worry, they're harml-

"Shit!"

I shot one immediately with my assault rifle, the thing exploding in front of us.

Kaidan: Damn!

"Ah… aheh… sorry. False alarm."

We trudged through the river and headed into yet another clearing clearing, walking forward steadily.

"Whoa… wait, wait, wait."

We all got onto our knees as I put one hand behind myself to make sure no one got in front of me.

"I swear… I thought I saw something."

I let them move in front of me, their guard still up. Jenkins began moving quickly ahead as I heard something. A humming.

And then, as Jenkins started to move up the hill in front of us, two drones flew out from cover and began to fire.

"No!"

Jenkins: Argh!

Jenkins was riddled with lasers, his armor being ripped apart as he fell to the ground.

Kaidan: Shit… recon drones!

We didn't jump into cover as I had already let out a large assault rifle spray that took out all three of the Geth Recon Drones. We kept our guard up, but Kaidan assured the both of us.

Kaidan: Negative contacts, Commander.

I let out the breath I held in my lungs, turning to the dead body next to me. Jenkins was sitting in a pool of his blood that was gradually increasing. I cursed under my breath. I swore this wouldn't happen again. I swore, dammit.

As I clenched my eyes shut and tried to let the anger with myself subside, Kaidan kneeled down and closed his eyes.

Kaidan: Ripped right through his shields. Never had a chance.

"Dammit…"

I pinched my nose.

"We'll… we'll bury him properly. But we gotta go on now. We need to stay focused or we'll end up like him."

Kaidan: Aye, aye, sir.

After taking another hard look at our previous squadmate, we both made it up the hill, only for us to get greeted by assault drones.

Immediately, I slid into cover on both of my knees. I expected Kaidan to do the same, but I looked up, and saw him begin to glow blue. He shot his hand out and three biotic blasts were shot out and they all hit their target, throwing the drones back into object that caused them to explode.

"Oh. Right, you're a biotic."

Kaidan: Yeah. Comes in handy, sometimes.

I stood up from out of cover and we both started moving forward again past several oddly shaped trees when Nihlus came over our comm feeds.

Nihlus: I've got some burned out buildings here, Shepard. A lot of bodies. I'm going to check it out. I'll try to catch up with you at the dig site.

We nodded and headed forward again, only stopping when we heard more laser fire.

And then, someone came into view.

A girl in white, pink, and black armor ran into a clearing as lasers fired from behind her, two recon drones hot in pursuit. One shot hit her shields, causing her to almost fall, but she jumped onto the ground, whipping out her pistol in a fluid motion and firing it at the drones quickly, taking them both out.

However, our attention turned from her to something she had ran past. Two Geth held a struggling colonist down on a strange device, the girl getting to her feet as a spike shot out from the device, impaling the human colonist.

Colonist: AAGH! Ghhrughh…

The colonist almost immediately died as blood dripped down from his body. The soldier ran back and took cover behind a boulder; breathing heavily as the two Geth began to investigate the area.

We jumped into action then, sprinting forward and taking the heat off of her. The Geth fired at us, but Kaidan hit a lucky shot, nailing one of them in the lense on their head and taking that one out of the fight immediately.

I stopped and watched the Geth die, but as I did, the other Geth ran up close and attempted to shoot me.

"Guh!"

I span around a shot and, holding my assault rifle as if it were a bat, I slammed the gun into the Geth's head and its head caved in, sparking as it died and fell to the ground.

"Hhh…"

I turned to the soldier who had walked out of cover at this point and I immediately recognized her. I don't know why or how… but I did. Ashley Williams.

Ashley: Thanks for your help. I didn't think I was going to make it.

"Ashley…?"

Ashley: Uh… how do you know my name?

I looked at her face for a moment, but then shook my head.

"Uh… well… I don't know, I saw your face somewhere I guess."

Ashley: Oh. Well, uh, okay. As you seem to already know… I'm Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams of the 212. I guess you're in charge, right?

"Yeah. I'm Commander Sam Shepard and this is Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko. Are you all right?"

Ashley: Well, a few scrapes and burns. Nothing too serious. The others weren't so lucky.

Ashley took a deep breath, looking at the floor for a moment before pacing back and forth.

"What happened around here before the shit hit the fan?"

Ashley: We were sent out a couple nights ago from the main colony to secure the area. Seemed like a routine patrol until the geth hit us. We never knew they were coming.

"And the researchers?"

Ashley: I don't know. They set up camp near the beacon. The 232 was with them. Maybe their unit fared better than mine.

Ashley shook her head.

Ashley: Oh man… we were patrolling the perimeter when the attack hit. We tried to get off a distress call, but they cut off our communications. I've been fighting for my life ever since.

"I'm guessing your squad…"

Ashley: I… I… I don't think any of the others… I think I'm the only one left.

Ashley looked distraught, nearly like she was going to cry.

"Hey, hey. Don't worry. This is not your fault at all. You probably couldn't have done anything anyway."

Ashley professionally nodded with a sigh, not showing too much emotion.

Ashley: Yes, sir. We held our position as long as we could. Until the geth overwhelmed us.

Kaidan: The geth haven't been seen outside The Veil in nearly 200 years. Why are they here now?

Ashley: They must have come for the beacon. The dig site is close. Just over that rise. It might still be there.

"What else do you know about them? The geth, I mean?"

Ashley: Just what I remember from history class in school. They're synthetics. Non-organic lifeforms with limited AI programming created by the quarians a few centuries ago. They were supposed to be a source of cheap labor, but ended up turning on the quarians and drove them into exile. After that, they just kind of disappeared behind the Perseus Veil. Nobody's really heard much from them since.

"And the beacon?"

Ashley: They were doing some digging out here to extend the monorail and expand the colony. A few weeks ago they unearthed some Prothean ruins… and the beacon. Suddenly every scientist expert in the colony was interested. That's when they brought us in to secure the site. I don't know much about the beacon itself. But I heard one of the researchers say this could be the biggest scientific discovery of the century.

"Thanks for the info. But uh… by the way, have you seen a turian around here? Tall, dark, and gruesome-looking? Kinda Spectre-y?"

Ashley: There aren't any turians on Eden Prime. None that I've ever met, at least. It's a human colony. Not sure if I'd be able to tell if one was a Spectre, anyway.

Kaidan: If you saw this guy, you'd know. Carries enough firepower to wipe out a whole platoon. Luckily, he's on our side.

Ashley: Well, sorry. Like I said, no turians.

"Well, let's go. You should come with us, we need that beacon, we're down one man and apparently I'm supposed to be the muscle of this operation."

Ashley: All right.

Ashley took a look around.

Ashley: It used to be beautiful here. I swear somebody's going to pay for this. But come on, the beacon's at the far end of this trench.

We fought our way through the trench, the fight being easy enough as we approached them silently.

Ashley: This is the dig site. The beacon was right here. It must have been moved.

Kaidan: By who? Our side? Or the geth?

Ashley: Hard to say. Maybe we'll know more after we check out the research cam-

"No, it was moved by us."

Ashley: What?

"There are skid marks here and then they disappear. Meaning they must have put it onto a transport vehicle. Geth have better technology than us, they wouldn't need to drag it, they'd probably have a transporter of some sort."

Ashley: That's true, I guess.

"Then we need to get to it fast before the geth do. I wonder if anyone is still alive…"

Ashley: If they were lucky, maybe. They could be hiding up in the camp on the top of the ridge. It's up the ramps.

As we began to leave the area, Nihlus came in over our comms.

Nihlus: Change of plans, Shepard. There's a small spaceport up ahead. I want to check it out. I'll wait for you there.

Then we made our way up the dirt ramp and out of the dig site when we noticed a large smoke plume coming from up ahead.

Ashley: Shit… looks like they hit the camp hard.

A ruined and wrecked camp was at the top of the ridge with three odd spike machines that sat upon what looked like a tripod riddled throughout the camp. We took a good look around.

The corpses on the spikes looked… different, now. They didn't look human. It was covered in wires, tubes, technology that glowed with an odd blue energy, its eyes in particular. It looked like all oxygen had been sucked from its body. A husk of what it once was.

Kaidan: It's a good place for an ambush. Keep your guard up.

And then, almost a second after Kaidan said that, one of the spikes retracted, the husk moving off of the tripod with unnatural jerks and weird movements. It moaned as if it was in constant pain.

"Holy shit…"

Kaidan: Oh, god! They're still alive!

Ashley: What did… what did the geth do to them?

And then, with a rabid screech, the husk ran toward us like a wild animal. I nearly ran back, but when I saw the others were holding their positions, I did as well.

But then I noticed… they weren't moving. They were just kind of staying there. Almost as if they were hoping for it to stop.

Kaidan: Stay back!

Ashley: Hold it right there!

But the husk kept moving. It didn't understand. It didn't know. I don't think it knew what it was doing at all. And if it did… all it wanted was to kill.

The husk lunged forward, but before it could grab either Kaidan or Ashley, I took a large step forward, whipping out my omniblade and stabbing it in the chest. I ripped the blade out, but before it completely died, it sent off a small shot of electricity, striking me and causing me to fall to my knees in pain.

"Ggh…!"

Kaidan: Commander!

The other two husks had gotten off of their spikes, coming towards the squad. I could barely register that as my eyes were clenched shut in pain. Kaidan and Ashley let loose a barrage of gunfire, stopping the husks short in their path.

Ashley: Are you okay?

I grunted, getting up onto my feet.

"Yeah… sorry. That hurt like a bitch."

Ashley: I could tell. We should move.

And that we did. Toward the last building that looked relatively unscathed in comparison to the rest of the camp.

"Check the building. Maybe there are some survivors."

Ashley: That door. It's closed. Security lock's engaged.

"I'll try and override it…"

Kaidan and Ashley took cover on either side of the door as I went to work on this. While on leave, I had familiarized myself with the basic equipment of this new universe. Omnitools, omni-gel, most types of weapons, and how to fly a flying car. Which was particularly awesome.

And then, the door opened.

We burst into the room, our guns at the ready, but all we noticed were two people, a woman with short red hair and a man with brown hair. And one of them looked particularly glad to see us, her nametag read Dr. Warren, while the other one looked… not exactly here in the moment, and his nametag read Dr. Manuel.

Dr. Warren: Humans! Thank the Maker!

Maker? Isn't that something from… Dragon Age? Agh. I don't know. Whatever.

Dr. Manuel: Hurry! Close the door! Before they come back!

"It's all right. You're both safe now. We'll take care of them if they try and come around.

Dr. Warren: Thank you. I think we'll be okay now. It looks like everyone's gone.

Ashley: Hey, I know you, you're Dr. Warren, the one in charge of the excavation. Do you know what happened to the beacon?

Dr. Warren: It was moved to the spaceport this morning. Manuel and I stayed behind to help pack up the camp. When the attack came, the marines held them off long enough for us to hide. They gave their lives to save us.

Suddenly, the other doctor piped up.

Dr. Manuel: No one is saved! The age of humanity is ended. Soon, only ruin and corpses will remain.

I looked at him as his eyes blinked repeatedly, almost uncontrollably. He must have broken under the circumstances… but there was something about what he was saying. Something that rung true to me. Like… a memory. A memory telling me he's right.

"What happened to him?"

Dr. Warren: Manuel has a brilliant mind but he's always been a bit… unstable. Genius and madness are two sides of the same coin.

Dr. Manuel: Is it madness to see the future? To see the detruction rushing toward us? To understand there is no escape? No hope? No, I am not mad. I'm the only sane one left.

Something is telling me you're right, Dr. Manuel. I looked at him with a hard stare once again.

What had he seen?

Dr. Warren: I gave him an extra dose of his meds after the attack.

I tore my gaze away from him to ask for more information.

"What happened during the attack?"

Dr. Warren sighed.

Dr. Warren: It all happened so fast. One second we were gathering up our equipment. The next we were hiding in the shed while the geth swarmed the camp.

Dr. Manuel: Agents of the destroyers. Bringers of darkness. Heralds of our extinction.

Dr. Warren: We could hear the battle outside. Gunfire. Screams. I thought it would never end. Then, everything went quiet. We just sat there, too afraid to move. Until you came along.

I scratched my cheek for a moment, thinking about what next to ask.

"Any information on the beacon would be helpful."

Dr. Warren: It's some type of data module from a galaxy-wide communications network. Remarkably well preserved. It could be the greatest scientific discovery of our lifetime! Miraculous new technologies. Groundbreaking medical advances. Who knows what secrets are locked inside?

Something tells me I already know. But I can't remember. Dammit.

Dr. Manuel: We have unearthed the heart of evil. Awakened the beast. Unleashed the darkness.

Dr. Warren: Manuel! Please! This isn't the time.

"Have you seen a turian around?"

Dr. Manuel: I saw him! The prophet. Leader of the enemy. He was here, before the attack.

Kaidan shook his head at the madman.

Kaidan: That's impossible. Nihlus was with us on The Normandy before the attack. He couldn't have been here.

Dr. Warren: I'm sorry. Manuel's still a bit… unsettled. We haven't seen your turian. We've been hiding in here since the attack.

I ignored her and walked up to the doctor.

"What did you see?"

Dr. Warren: I assure you, he's just-

Dr. Manuel: Darkness… You don't know… you'll never know until it's too late. Our lives are so fragile… we never knew it until now. You can't stop it. Nobody can stop it. Night is falling. The darkness of eternity. You're wasting your time. The age of humanity is over. Our extinction is inevitable. Can you hear them talking? They're coming.

Dr. Warren: Hush, Manuel. Go lie down. You'll feel better once the medication kicks in.

I looked at him as he began to mutter to himself, walking away from us. He knew something.

Ashley: Come on, Commander. I'll take us to the spaceport.

~X~

Nihlus took cover quickly at the spaceport, holding his assault rifle at the ready as he peeked out from the edge. He stayed put for a few moments, then burst out of cover. He leveled his gun at the figure he saw in front of him, but hesitated as he began to make its features out. It wasn't a geth.

Nihlus: Saren?

A turian in faded white, grey, and silver armor with tubes and wires coming from here and there, as well as a cowl over his long fringe. A cybernetically grafted arm that looked like it had come off of a geth had replaced his entire left arm. He looked like he had cybernetic implants in his body. His plates were pale grey with white markings while his actual skin was also pale white, with searing blue eyes to top it all off. He casually turned to Nihlus.

Saren: Nihlus.

Nihlus let his guard down, talking to what appeared to be his old friend.

Nihlus: This isn't your mission, Saren. What are you doing here?

Saren walked past Nihlus slowly, patting his shoulder lightly and reassuringly with his non-synthetic hand.

Saren: The Council thought you could use some help on this one.

Nihlus: I wasn't expecting to find the geth here. The situation's bad.

Saren: Don't worry.

Saren turned around, drawing his gun silently and pointing it at the unsuspecting turian's head.

Saren: I've got it under control.

~X~

We walked up the top of the hill when we heard a loud machine roar.

"Holy shit…"

Kaidan: What is that? Off in the distance.

Ashley: it a ship… Look at the size of it!

There, behind the spaceport, stood the same ship we had seen on the distress call coming out of the clouds. The ship's design resembled a mollusk of some sort. It glowed and pulsed with red energy, making that same roaring machine noise that had shook me to the core earlier. It stayed there, as if to watch us, attacking at something on the ground we couldn't see. It… it was terrifying.

And I still had that feeling of familiarity that I didn't understand. I wanted to kill it... I knew it was dangerous, but not only because of what it did, but because of what I knew it could do.

I know I know it from somewhere… but I had forgotten it. Damn it. Damn it!

Kaidan: Commander? Are you all right?

I was taken out of my own thoughts by Kaidan grabbing my arm.

"Oh… uh… yeah Yeah, let's go."

But suddenly, a laser shot past my head.

"Whoa!"

We all ducked down into cover, seeing that there were geth and husks moving in.

"Defensive positions, don't move forward. Just pick 'em off from here!"

Ashley began to shoot at the Geth soldiers who tried to make it up the hill, however, she had missed three husks that had come toward us. Kaidan was able to knock back one with a warp blast, but the last two got close enough to where I was in cover where it was in distance.

So I sprang to my feet, using my assault rifle to wrap around the husk's head, slamming it into the waist high cover. I raised the rifle above myself and then slammed it back down, caving the husk's head in. I then jumped back as the electricity fired from it.

The final one jumped at me again, but I fell to one knee, grabbed the husk by its shoulder, and shot a concussive shot into its chest, blowing it back into the air, killing it.

By that time, the last of the enemies had been taken out, so we made it onto the spaceport to see someone familiar lying on the ground.

Kaidan: That's Nihlus, Commander…

"Oh shit."

We ran up to the body on the ground and Kaidan immediately checked his pulse. I noticed a slight cut in the back of his head as well as one part of his fringe had broken off.

Kaidan: Commander…

I looked at Kaidan who was sighing in relief.

Kaidan: He's alive.

**To Be Continued…**


	14. Chapter 14: The Genesis

**Mass Effect: The Requiem Saga: Genesis.  
****Volume 2.  
****Chapter 14.**

"Oh thank God, contact Joker, evacuate him immediately."

Kaidan: Right on it.

Ashley was on watch when she immediately raised her gun.

Ashley: Hey! Something's moving! Over behind those crates!

Kaidan continued to talk on the comm, but I raised my assault rifle. However, the man who came out was not an enemy at all, he was just a random guy in a beanie.

Man: Wait! Don't–Don't shoot! I'm one of you! I'm human!

"Jesus, don't sneak up on us like that. We have guns and shit. We could have shot you."

Man: I… I'm sorry. I was hiding. From those creatures. My name's Powell. I saw what happened to that turian. The other one hit him with his gun after it jammed.

"Other one…? Is that the one Manuel was… What the hell are you saying?"

Powell: There were two turians here. Your friend and another one he called Saren. I think they knew each other. Your friend seemed to relax. He let his guard down… and Saren tried to kill him. But his gun jammed, then a geth came around the corner, and before Nihlus could turn around to warn Saren, he hit him over the head with his gun twice. I'm just lucky he didn't see me behind the crates.

"Shit… Saren… I know the name."

Ashley: You do?

"Yeah. A spectre. Ruthless."

I thought for a moment.

"The beacon. Shit, there was a prothean beacon that was brought here. What happened to it?"

Powell: It's over on the other platform. Probably where that guy Saren was headed. He hopped on the cargo train right after he knocked out your friend.

Powell sighed and leaned n one of the cargo boxes.

Powell: I knew that beacon was trouble. Everything's gone to hell since we found it. First that damn mother ship showed up. Then the attack. They killed everyone… Everyone! If I hadn't been behind the crates, I'd be dead, too!

Kaidan stood up.

Kaidan: A shuttle will be here soon, Commander.

I nodded at him, but then something struck me.

"Wait… why were you the only one that had the genius idea to hide?"

Powell: They never had a chance. I… I was already behind the crates when the attack started.

Kaidan: Wait a minute… you were hiding behind the crates before the attack?

Powell: I… sometimes need a nap to get through my shift. I sneak off behind the crates to grab forty winks where the supervisor can't find me.

Ashley: You survived… because you're lazy?

"Calm down. Well… if you didn't take your 'forty winks' you'd probably be in the ground like your co-workers. So… good job I guess."

Powell: Yeah. Yeah, I guess. I don't really want to think about it.

"So what actually happened in the attack?"

Powell: Well, it was quick. One minute, that ship was descending. The next, those geth were swarming over the platform, thousands of them. They must have been inside that mother ship. They shot anything that moved. It was a massacre.

"What about the beacon?"

Powell: What about it?

"Tell me about it, dumbass."

Powell: Oh… sorry. Uh… they brought it here this morning. We loaded it up on the train and shipped it to the other platform. Hard to believe that was only a few hours ago. Feels like a whole other life.

"The mother ship. The one over there. Tell me about it."

Powell: I've never seen anything like it before. It–It was huge. Landed over near that platform. The whole place got dark as it came down. And– And it was making this noise, this– this sound that bored right into your brain. That's what woke me up. The attack came a few minutes later.

"Right. Thanks for the information. We need to get to the beacon now before Saren gets his talons on it."

Powell: Take the cargo tram. That's where the other turian went. I… I can't stay here. I need to get away from all this.

Powell walked away, scurried more like it, and we all looked at each other. We waited for a few minutes for the shuttle to arrive and when we saw it overhead, we waved at it and began to make our way out of the area as Nihlus got evacuated.

What we then saw as we made our way down a ramp and over a corner was a large group of Geth taking cover on a long passageway to the tram. But at the end, we saw something different than the geth. Much larger and obviously organic.

"Get into cover!"

I immediately slid into cover on my knees while the rest of the squad ducked behind their own. The opposition kept us in cover with heavy fire.

"Ashley! What the hell is that thing at the end there?!"

Ashley: Gimme a minute!

We moved up slowly, taking cover on every barricade as we did, taking a few shots at the enemy. We got closer to the beast at the end of the pathway that had been biding its time, but upon further examination, it didn't look completely organic.

It was large and bulky, with four eyes and two horns, two fingers and a thumb on its large hands, and legs similar to that of a quarian. However, its arms seemed completely synthetic in nature, a bit more crude than the smooth and stylized geth, as well as different implants and tubes around its body. It wore armor on its legs and lower back, but it only wore an open trench coat on its upper body.

Ashley: Commander… it's a Yahg…

Kaidan: Wait what?

"Did you say Yahg?"

Ashley: Yeah.

"Shit. How do you kill a fucking yahg?

Kaidan: I don't think you do.

We began to mow down the geth in front of us, but when we mostly finished with that, the yahg turned to us.

Geth: Kornak-Major, we-

Kornak, the yahg, swiped the geth away and pointed his left arm toward us. Surprisingly, a fucking machine gun dropped out of his arm and a handle for him to hold it steady with. With a yell, he began to shoot it out onto the pathway.

Kornak: Die!

"Holy fucking shit!"

Ashley: What do we do?

"Uh…"

I looked around for anything to use against him when I saw he was on the second to last car on the tram and was holding onto the railing with his free arm. So, immediately, I put away my assault rifle, took aim with my sniper, and shot the foundations of the railing.

Kornak: Hrrnh?

Kornak felt the railing break under his weight and, suddenly, the railing, along with Kornak, fell off the tram and down onto the tracks.

"Go! Go, go!"

We all rushed down the tram to the final car to see Kornak begin to get to his feet. I leapt and slammed my hand onto the activation controls of the tram, the whole thing lurching forward.

However, we were not out of the woods, as Kornak had jumped onto the side of the tram and was holding on as it bolted forward.

Kornak: RAARGH!

Ashley: Uh… Commander? It's still on the-wait, Commander?

For some reason, I felt this was a good idea.

I burst forward down the train to where the yahg was, putting away my weapon as I leaped into the air, coming down on the side of the train and dropkicking Kornak in the face.

Kornak: GRRGH!

"Aw shit."

Kornak began to reach for my leg when I grabbed my pistol, shooting a concussive shot in his face, pushing myself back a little and dazing him.

Kornak: Gaarrgh… humans… I don't like humans…

Kornak then climbed onto the tram, but I rolled back onto my knees, putting away my pistol and took out my grenade launcher.

"Eat shit."

I shot him in the body this time and he fell onto the second to last car of the tram. Jumping onto the last one along with my squad, I pointed at Kaidan.

"Release the rest of the cars!"

Kaidan quickly input the correct sequence to do so and Kornak attempted to lunge at us, but the car broke off from ours. We watched him grow smaller in the distance.

Kaidan: Excuse me, Commander, but holy shit!

Ashley: That was pretty badass, I'll admit.

"It was nothing."

I put away my weapon and headed back to the front of the tram.

"Let's go get ourselves a beacon. Hopefully catch a turian while we're at it."

~X~

Saren: Damn it all!

Saren confronted a geth after hearing Kornak had not stopped the squad that had been sent in by the Alliance.

Saren: Set the charges. Destroy the entire colony. Leave no evidence we were here.

Saren walked past it and stood in front of the prothean beacon, taking in its large form for a moment. It surged with energy that none of his geth could pick up. Curious.

And suddenly, he was lifted off the ground.

~X~

The geth finished setting the demolition charges when they noticed the tram coming in.

"All right, let's-Oh. More geth!"

We drew our weapons and left the tram when Kaidan pointed something out.

Kaidan: Demolition charges! The geth must have planted them.

Ashley: Hurry – we need to find them all and shut them down!

"Shit… uh… well, cover me! I'll disable them."

Ashley: You sure you know how?

"Of course!"

I kneeled down at the first charge and began to disable it.

"…I think."

Kaidan and Ashley gave me cover fire while I finished disabling the first charge.

"Right, we should be good. Let's get the rest."

We ran up a staircase and across a bridge onto the platform off the tram. Kaidan shot a geth as it ran up to us and I got down to disabling the second charge.

Ashley: Commander!

A geth attempted to shoot me from behind, but Ashley leaped forward and attacked it with her assault rifle. By that time, I had finished disarming that charge and was moving onto the next one. Two more geth approached us, but Kaidan stepped forward.

Kaidan: Hnh!

Kaidan began to glow, channeling biotic energy inside himself before he charged toward the two geth, leapt into the air hitting them with a biotic kick. The geth exploded into pieces upon impact.

Ashley: Nice!

We ran over the platform, but I was knocked over by a shot that took out my shields entirely.

"Agh!"

A geth sniper stood beside us, but was quickly taken out by a biotic warp, pushing it over the warp and into pieces. I got to my feet and found the charge nearby and disarmed it quickly.

After that, we saw the beacon just down the staircase and at the end of another platform, but there were several geth and husks in the area.

"All right… one final push!"

I decided to leap over the railing instead of going down the stairs, landing hard on the ground as we shot at the enemy in unison.

"Let's go!"

The geth were taken by surprise and were mowed down in the fight early on. There were only two husks that Ashley took care of easily. Surprisingly, it didn't take as much effort as we thought it would.

"Well that was-"

**CRRASSH!**

The yahg, Kornak, burst through the metal wall above us, roaring as he did so.

Kornak: ROAARRGHH!

"Ah shit."

Kornak landed and immediately hit both Kaidan and Ashley to the side, knocking the breath out of both of them.

"Great. Leave me to deal with monster-mash over here."

I rolled out of the way of an incoming charge, seeing Kornak in a blood rage. He could articulate words beforehand, but now he was snarling and grunting, he looked to be in a blood rage.

Kornak: Ragh!

Kornak then span around, hitting me straight through the air and onto a bridge.

"Guh… kck…"

To my delight, he didn't actually knock the wind out of me, but it still hurt like a bitch nonetheless.

And then he grabbed me in one hand, lifting me into the air.

"AAGH!"

I yelled in pain, but I was able to move my arms well enough, so I reared back one hand and hit a well-aimed punch to two of his eyes.

Kornak: Grgh!

He stumbled back over the railing of the bridge, still holding me as he fell onto a column that helped hold it up.

"Gh…!"

I was able to wriggle away from his grasp, but instead of getting back onto the bridge, I fell onto the column as well, with only my upper body to hold me from falling onto the ramp about thirty feet below.

Kornak: Kill… kill you…

With a grunt, I hoisted myself onto the column and Kornak turned onto his side, trying to swipe at me. However, I jumped out of the way and onto the side of the bridge, holding the railing as I shot my legs into his face, knocking him off the column from sheer momentum.

Kornak: NOORGHHH!

Kornak fell to the floor and stopped moving. Either he was unconscious or dead. I hoped it was the latter.

After climbing back onto the bridge and going onto the platform, the other two had recovered from their hits.

Ashley: Is he…?

"Yeah. Yeah I took care of him."

Kaidan: Wow.

We turned to the beacon next to us. I went to my comm channel.

"Joker, the beacon's secure. We need evacuation."

Kaidan and Ashley walked up to it.

Kaidan: This is amazing! Actual working Prothean technology. Unbelievable!

Kaidan walked back over to me, but Ashley seemed mesmerized by it.

Ashley: It wasn't doing anything like that when they dug it up. Something must have activated it.

By that time, I'd finished my talk with Joker.

"Yeah, we'll stand by and all that. See you then."

Ashley began to watch it intently, but as she did, it began to glow and vibrate, flashing its light and pulling Ashley in with some unknown force. She couldn't get free from the hold by herself, clawing at the air.

Ashley: H-Help!

It was then I sprung into action, pushing Kaidan out the way as I sprinted forward, leaping to grab Ashley before she got sucked into… whatever it was sucking her into. I held onto her by the waist and with all my might, I swung her out of the way and onto the ground, Kaidan immediately going to help her.

But I couldn't do anything to stop myself from being sucked into it.

"Shit…"

I hunched over, feeling pure energy and information being shot into my very veins. And it was then I was lifted into the air, my eyes rolling back into my head.

Visions and images flashed before my eyes. Some type of aliens… I couldn't… I can't… Too… too much… too much information is… I… I can't… agh shit… AAAGHHH!

The beacon exploded and I was shot back onto the ground. The glow subsided as my eyes returned to normal…

Kaidan: Commander… Shepard!

I tried to move my lips, but my entire body was flooding with energy and information. I felt like I was drowning.

And then everything finally went black.

**To Be Continued…**

* * *

_Hey there,_

_Bam! Two chapters in a row, baby._

_As you can see, the series is now going down a new path with the original path still intact. Nihlus is alive now! And what role will he play in the story? And Kornak, The Yahg is another antagonist that has now appeared and obviously can take a licking and keep on coming. Besides that, Shepard has now been exposed to the beacon, but you'll find it does some other things this time around on top of what it already did previously._

_Hope you're enjoying the series as much as I am writing it! Chapters 13 and 14 took me about ten hours to write in total, so I hope its well received._

_Thanks,  
Wesky._


	15. Chapter 15: The Avatar of Redemption

**Mass Effect: The Requiem Saga: Genesis.  
****Volume 2.  
****Chapter 15.**

_Somewhere in Space…_

The mother ship that had been on Eden Prime is flying quickly to its next destination. Its very presence vibrates the space around it, obviously a powerful ship indeed.

And inside of it, Saren Arterius is sitting on his Captain's chair, lounging as he thinks. An asari matriarch approached him from behind, clearing her throat.

The Matriarch: We identified the ship that touched down on Eden Prime. The Normandy. A human Alliance vessel. It was under the command of Captain Anderson. They managed the save the colony.

Saren: And the beacon?

The Matriarch: One of the humans may have used it.

Saren shot up from his lounging position, immediately scowling in anger. The whole room began to glow red, showcasing his anger in pure energy. He stood, growling and snarling in anger as he began to throw things across the room. The Matriarch merely stood where she was, trying not to react as Saren angrily began to tear the room apart.

Saren: Argh! Rarh! Argh!

It was only when Saren gripped the sides of her head did she flinch. He continued to snarl in her face for a few moments before calming down and letting her go.

Saren: This human must be eliminated. Bring his body to us and salvage what you can if there's anything left.

Saren turned away from her and walked off.

~X~

_Hmm…_

_Yes, yes you will do fine. More than fine._

_I believe it is you we have been seeking for a long time, human._

_Your name… yes, your name… Commander Sam Shepard._

_Hmm…_

_Commander Shepard, you have been chosen as our Avatar of Redemption. Of Vengeance._

_Yes, carry on our will and power. Take what's left of our power and slay your enemies. Become a mass for the dead, a Requiem. End The Cycles. Make this… The Final Cycle._

_Find us. Find the rest. We hold the key. We hold The Conduit. We are waiting. Ever vigilant._

_Find. Us._

~X~

The blackness that had overcome me began to subside as if it were a fog that had retreated. With the flutter of my eyes, only blinding light replaced it.

"Nngh…"

Ashley: Doctor? Doctor Chakwas? I think he's waking up…!

I steadily swung my legs over the edge of the med bay bed and grabbed my head with one hand. Doctor Chakwas stood next to me.

Doctor Chakwas: You had us worried there, Shepard. How are you feeling?

"I…"

I thought about it for a moment. There was pain and discomfort still… but I felt… good. Surprisingly good.

"Besides some throbbing… Would it be weird to say good?"

Doctor Chakwas: No. And I was hoping you'd say something like that. This might be a bit odd to hear.

Doctor Chakwas grabbed a data pad and began to explain something to me.

Doctor Chakwas: Are you ready?

"I… I don't know."

Doctor Chakwas: The Prothean Beacon you came in contact with, do you remember that? Something happened down there with the beacon, I think.

"Yeah, of course."

Doctor Chakwas: It… did something to you. Maybe a few things. But the one thing we know for sure is that it enhanced the augmentations a soldier gets when he becomes part of The Systems Alliance.

"Wait… what?"

Doctor Chakwas: The energy stored in the beacon was compatible with your augmentations… you're now stronger and faster than you would normally be in normal circumstances. Not by a whole lot, but you're currently in the top physical condition a human being could possibly be.

"Okay, back up, back up… it's a lot to take in at once…"

Doctor Chakwas: I can understand that.

I rubbed my face for a moment.

"So… what can I do?"

Doctor Chakwas: Well, you now can typically move faster than a normal human being could and your strength is also enhanced by a margin that isn't extreme, but significant enough to call you… nearly superhuman in nature.

"So… I'm a super soldier?"

Doctor Chakwas sighed.

Doctor Chakwas: If you would really like to call it that… sure. I guess that would be an apt way to compare yourself. You're not superman or spider-man by any means, but you are a… well, a super soldier.

I grabbed my head. I didn't remember anything like this. Usually when I'm doing something right, my mind gives me this déjà vu feeling… but I'm getting nothing.

"Holy shit…"

Doctor Chakwas: Take some time, Commander. You may not even notice it until combat but… it's astounding. I'm going to have to do more studies on you at some point.

I took a moment of time.

"Well… how long was I out for anyway?"

Doctor Chakwas: About fifteen hours.

Ashley finally came out with something she was holding in.

Ashley: I'm sorry, Commander. It's my fault. I must have triggered some kind of security field when I approached it. You had to push me out of the way.

"Don't worry, I don't expect you to have an extensive knowledge of Prothean tech."

Ashley smiled a little bit at that but I took a deep breath. It's not every day you wake up knowing your body is different.

Well… that's not true. It's not every day, but in puberty I dealt with that, then when I came to this universe my body changed to be more athletic, and now I'm… super, I guess.

Doctor Chakwas: Actually, we don't even know if that's what set it off. Unfortunately, we'll never get the chance to find out.

Ashley: The beacon exploded. A system overload, maybe. The blast knocked you cold. The Lieutenant and I carried you back here to the ship.

"Thanks."

Doctor Chakwas: Physically, you're now… at the peak of your possible physical condition. But I detected some unusual brain activity, abnormal beta waves. I also noticed an increase in your rapid eye movement, signs typically associated with intense dreaming.

"I… I saw… I'm not really sure what I saw. Death. Destruction. None of it was really clear."

Doctor Chakwas: Hmmm. I better add this to my report. It may– Oh, Captain Anderson.

Anderson walked into the room.

Anderson: How's our XO holding up, Doctor? Besides the… new abilities.

Doctor Chakwas: Well, all the readings look normal to say the least. I'd say the Commander's going to be fine.

Anderson: Glad to hear it. Shepard, I need to speak with you– in private.

Ashley: Aye, aye, Captain. I'll be in the mess if you need me.

Anderson: Sounds like that beacon hit you pretty hard, Commander. And… did some other things too. You sure you're okay?

I thought about it for a moment. A lot happened. Besides the most recent thing… there's one that stuck out.

"Jenkins… I wish I could have done more."

Anderson: Jenkins wasn't your fault. You did a good job, Shepard.

That doesn't help, Anderson… gah.

"Jenkins probably wouldn't have happened if our information was correct. We went in blind and things went to hell pretty quickly."

Anderson: The geth haven't been outside the Veil in centuries, Commander. Nobody could have predicted this.

I gave a long sigh, pinching my nose. I take it that no one was taking responsibility for this.

"All right then… why is Ashley still here?"

Anderson: I figured we could use a soldier like her. She's been reassigned to The Normandy.

"That's good… she held her own down there. Saw a lot of shit."

Anderson: Lieutenant Alenko agrees with you. That's why I added her to our crew.

And then the big thing that stuck out in my mind.

"Nihlus! What happened to him?"

Anderson: He's up and around, Commander. Recovered very quickly.

"Good. But what did you need to speak to me about?"

Anderson: I won't lie to you, Shepard. Things look bad. Nihlus got attacked. The beacon was destroyed and geth are invading. On top of that, the only remnants the beacon ever worked are your new physical enhancements. The council's going to want answers.

"What? What answers could I give them other than shit happened and I did my job?"

Anderson: I'll stand behind you and your report, Shepard. You're a damned hero in my books. That's not why I'm here. It's Saren, that other turian. And your enhancements.

"What about the enhancements?"

Anderson: I want you to not mention them.

"What?"

Anderson: The enhancements would be too hard to explain to The Council and it could get all of us in some deep trouble if we don't tell them exactly what the deal with it is.

"So… I didn't do anything wrong… yet I have to lie by omission?"

Anderson: Unfortunately, yes.

"Just my luck, eh?"

Anderson: And don't worry, the rest of the crew understand not to mention it either. Far as we're concerned, you now just have a few unexplained visions.

"And Saren?"

Anderson turned away from me, looking off as if he was reminiscing about something.

Anderson: Saren's a Spectre, one of the best. A living legend. But if he's working with the geth, it means he's gone rogue. A rogue Spectre's trouble. Saren's dangerous. And he hates humans.

"What's with the racism against humans?"

Anderson: He thinks we're growing too fast, taking over the galaxy. A lot of aliens think that way. Most of them don't do anything about it. But Saren has allied himself with the geth. I don't know how, I don't know why, I only know it had something to do with that beacon. You were there just before that beacon self-destructed. Did you see anything? Any clue that might tell us what Saren was after? I doubt it was just enhancements, they aren't incredibly impressive, he could turn to cybernetics for that.

I sat back against the med bay bed.

"A vision…"

Anderson: A vision? A vision of what?

"I saw synthetics of some sort… not sure exactly what they were. They slaughtered people. Butchered them. And… and there was a voice. It talked to me."

Anderson: We need to report this to the Council, Shepard.

"What are we going to report? I had a nightmare that happened to relate to what happened? I don't think that's going to do much for them."

Anderson: We don't know what information was stored in that beacon. Lost Prothean technology? Blueprints for some ancient weapon of mass destruction? Whatever it was, Saren took it. But I know Saren. I know his reputation, his politics. He believes humans are a blight on the galaxy. This attack was an act of war.

Anderson turned back to me, finally.

Anderson: He has the secrets from the beacon. He has an army of geth at his command. And he won't stop until he's wiped humanity from the face of the galaxy!

"I'll… I won't let him. I'll take that bastard down."

Anderson: It's not that easy. He's a Spectre. He can go anywhere, do almost anything. That's why we need the Council on our side.

"Then we prove Saren's gone rogue. Then… won't the Council just take away his Spectre status? Or is that not how it works?"

Anderson: It is. I'll contact the ambassador and see if he can get us an audience with The Council. He'll want to see us as soon as we reach The Citadel. We should be getting close. Head up to the bridge and tell Joker to bring us in to dock.

Anderson turned away and walked out of the room.

Anderson: And remember, all you got from that was a vision.

"Right…"

Anderson walked out of the room completely, leaving me alone.

"Not like I became Captain America 2.0 or anything like that. Nope. No siree"

I still need some time to wrap my head around that. That happened all too fast. And I don't really feel any different yet. I guess I will wait until some combat.

I walked out of the med bay, deep in thought over the dreams I had just had when I heard a voice.

Ashley: Hey, Commander.

I turned my head up to see Ashley leaning against the wall of The Mess Hall. I walked over, putting my hands in my pockets as I did so.

"Hey, what's up?"

Ashley: I'm glad you're okay, Commander. The crew could use some good news after what happened to Jenkins.

I frowned at her. Did she really need to bring that up in front of me?

"Yeah. He was a… a good kid. A little confused, but he didn't deserve to die. We'll miss him."

Ashley: Part of me feels guilty over what happened. If Jenkins was still alive, I might not be here.

"Hey, I'd vouch for you even if he was. We don't have many combat-ready people on this ship anyway. We could always use another. You held your own. Impressed me a whole lot."

Ashley: Thanks, Commander. That means a lot from you. I've never met anyone who was awarded The Star of Terra.

"It was nothing. But I was meaning to ask, you were down there for a while. Had a tough time. Everything good?"

Ashley: I've seen friends die before. Comes with being a marine. But to see my whole unit wiped out… And you never get used to seeing dead civilians. But things would have been a lot worse if you hadn't shown up.

"I understand about the dead friends and civilians part, Ashley. Elysium… had its fair share of both. A lot of good people I knew died."

My breath shortened and my brow furrowed for a moment, but I went back to the conversation. Ashley was giving me an analytical look, similar to how Vahan Octavian once did.

"But don't hold yourself short. Probably would have gotten our asses handed to us if you hadn't come along."

Ashley smiled a little bit and then responded.

Ashley: Thanks, Commander. I have to admit, I was a little worried about being assigned to The Normandy. It's nice when someone makes you feel welcome.

But then we were cut off by Doctor Chakwas walking by and asking for me to come over.

"I should go, but uh… see ya."

Ashley: Thanks, Commander.

I waved goodbye and walked over to Doctor Chakwas.

Doctor Chakwas: How are you holding up, Commander? Have you noticed anything yet?

"Nothing yet. Feels normal right now."

Doctor Chakwas: Hm. All right.

"Anything else?"

Doctor Chakwas: Not at the moment.

"Well uh… we should probably get to know each other if we're going to be serving on the same ship."

Doctor Chakwas: Of course.

"How did you get into this line of work?"

Doctor Chakwas: I enlisted right out of med school. Earth always seemed boring to me… too safe, too secure. I figured the colonies were teeming with exotic adventure. I wanted to travel the stars, tending the wounds of tough soldiers with piercing eyes and sensitive souls. Turns out military life isn't quite as romantic as I'd imagined. But humanity needs The Alliance if we want to keep expanding through the Traverse, and The Alliance always needs good doctors. So I stayed on to do my part.

"You sound wistful about that."

Doctor Chakwas: Sometimes I think about opening my own private practice back on Earth, or maybe taking a position at one of the new med centers out in the colonies. But there's something special about working on soldiers. If I felt The Alliance now, I'd feel like I was abandoning them.

"Well, I'm glad to have you aboard, if that helps."

Doctor Chakwas: It does. Thank you. Commander.

I looked to the right to see Kaidan fiddling with his things, then went back to the conversation.

"Sorry to change the subject, but how well do you know Kaidan?"

Doctor Chakwas: I'd never worked with him before this mission. But he has an impressive service record. Over a dozen special commendations. Tends to keep to himself, though. Maybe because of the headaches. It's not easy being an L2.

"L2?"

Doctor Chakwas: well, most biotics now use L3 implants. Lieutenant Alenko was wired with the old L2 configuration. Sometimes there are complications.

"Those being?"

Doctor Chakwas: Severe mental disabilities, insanity, crippling physical pain. There's a long list of horrific side effects. Kaidan's lucky. He just gets migraines.

I smirked for a moment. Well, it's good to know we have someone lucky on the team. Cause I'm sure as hell not.

Then my mind went to some others. Most notably Nihlus and Anderson. I didn't know a whole lot about them.

"Could you tell me about Anderson?"

Doctor Chakwas: I've served with him for a few tours now. He knows when to let things slide and when to crack the whip. The crew knows he's seen pretty much anything they'll ever run into. And he cares about the people under his command.

"And Nihlus?"

Doctor Chakwas: I don't know much about him other than he wasn't born in Turian Hierarchy Space. He was born in a mercenary outpost somewhere outside. I've heard stories about how reckless he was before he became a spectre and he was assigned to a new squad for a third time before he became a Spectre candidate. Very cool under pressure.

"Thought as much. Thanks, Doctor Chakwas. I should go."

Doctor Chakwas: Goodbye, Commander.

I walked onto the bridge and saw there were no guards at the FTL Communication Link Room like there normally are. I headed inside to see what was up and then saw Nihlus Kryik with a bandage on his head, using one of the consoles. He had pulled up a chair from somewhere, but was currently not sitting on it.

Nihlus: Shepard. Come in, I'd like to speak with you.

"Uh… sure."

I walked in and took a seat on one of the chairs.

Nihlus: I hear that I have you to thank for my evacuation after my head injury.

"Well, my squad and I, yeah."

Nihlus: Then, of course, thank you Commander. I might have died if I had not received medical help.

"It was nothing I wouldn't let another person die if I could help it."

Nihlus: I know. That's why I believe you are a perfect Spectre candidate, Shepard. Too many Spectres believe their ability of being able to circumvent civilian casualties is an excuse to be reckless.

"Like Saren."

Nihlus sighed.

Nihlus: Yes, that was what I was meaning to talk to you about.

Nihlus straightened himself.

Nihlus: I do not believe Saren is the culprit here.

My eyes widened slightly.

"What?"

Nihlus: It could not be Saren, Commander. I've known Saren for years, ever since I was in the turian military. He was my mentor who took me under his wing at a time when I felt lost. He taught me everything he knew and then some. I know him. He is a good person, troubled, but good.

"Nihlus, I understand how you feel about mentors but…"

Nihlus: Do you, Commander?

"Huh?"

Nihlus: Commander, how would you feel if I told you that Captain Anderson was a terrorist?

I thought about it for a moment. I don't think I would take it well. I might even have a similar reaction to what Nihlus is feeling now.

"I… would probably say that you're lying."

Nihlus: Exactly. Commander, I won't rule out the possibility, but I have my doubts. Saren is one of the most deadly turians, hell, person in general that I have witnessed in combat. If he wanted to kill me, he would have done it. He doesn't make mistakes.

"Everyone makes mistakes."

Nihlus: Not Saren.

We stood at a standstill for a few moments.

"I… don't know, Nihlus. I'm sorry, but there's too much information pointing to him to just say that he's innocent."

Nihlus: I know. I'm not asking you to stop investigating him, but I wanted to share with you my view on things. To give you a new perspective.

"Right. Thank you. But I should go, I have to go meet Joker."

Nihlus: Of course. Until we meet again, Commander.

The second I got the chance, I got myself out of there. That felt… odd. Like he was trying to hold something back. I don't think it was information or anything… but like he was trying to tone himself down. Maybe he really does want me to lay off of Saren. He knows I can't but… agh. It doesn't matter now.

I heard Navigator Pressly say something to me as I headed toward Joker in the cockpit.

Pressly: I'm glad you're okay. Commander. Losing Jenkins was hard enough on the crew.

I didn't acknowledge him, but I think he knew I heard him. I walked into the cockpit and Joker heard me, glancing back for a moment.

Joker: Good timing. Commander. I was just about to bring us in to The Citadel. See that taxpayer money at work.

"Oh, cool."

I looked outside the cockpit to see what he was talking about. I never got to see The Citadel from the outside. When I was brought in after Elysium, I was unconscious.

The Normandy flew toward a Mass Relay, catching a strand of energy and shooting through space and out of the vicinity of The Serpent Nebula's Mass Relay.

Going through what looked to be a cloud of some sort, The Normandy began to bring itself in to what looked like a station with outstretched arms traced with red light and a shining light coming from the center of it. It looked… unreal. Beautiful.

Ashley and Kaidan had walked in at that point, the three of us heading to one of the windows.

Ashley: Look at the size of that ship!

Kaidan: The Ascension. Flagship of The Citadel Fleet.

Joker: Well, size isn't everything.

Ashley: Why so touchy, Joker?

Joker: I'm just saying you need firepower, too.

I tried to hold back a chuckle, but failed miserably.

Ashley: Look at that monster! Its main gun could rip through the barriers on any ship in The Alliance Fleet.

Kaidan: Good thing it's on our side, then.

Joker: Citadel Control, this is SSV Normandy requesting permission to land.

Citadel Control: Stand by for clearance, Normandy.

The Normandy weaved its way past a plethora of different starships as it waited to be docked.

Citadel Control: Clearance granted. You may begin your approach. Transferring you to an Alliance operator.

Joker and I shared a smile for some reason.

Joker: Roger, Alliance Tower. Normandy out.

The Normandy made its way toward the docking bay of the spaceport, coming in slowly.

Alliance Tower: Normandy, this is Alliance Tower. Please proceed to dock 422.

The docking clamps closed in on The Normandy, locking it in place, ending the approach. Another look outside the windows showed a bustling city of light below us. It, like the station, was beautiful in its own way.

**To Be Continued in Volume 3…**

* * *

_Hey,_

_Yep, there's more different things than the games, as showcased by this chapter. If Nihlus living wasn't enough, Shepard is now slightly more enhanced than he once was. Nothing too noticeable, he won't be anything too wonderful, but look at him as basically... a second hand Captain America in terms of power._

_And now we get to The Citadel Volume with the end of volume 2. With the introduction of Shepard's love interest (hint hint), our favorite war-frog bounty hunter, and Shepard's to-be-best-buddy, plus the introduction of a new villain and a few new characters too, this volume will probably be the longest and the most fun yet!_

_Hope everyone's enjoying it so far. Will probably get the next chapter up tomorrow or the next day._

_Cheers,  
Wesky._


	16. Chapter 16: An Old, Brand New Friend

**Mass Effect: The Requiem Saga: Genesis.  
****Volume 3.  
****Chapter 16.**

Udina: This is an outrage! The Council would step in if the geth attacked a turian colony.

Kaidan, Ashley, Nihlus, and I were standing in Ambassador Donnel Udina's office, humanity's ambassador on The Citadel, as Udina himself was speaking with The Council via vidcomm.

Salarian Councilor: The turians don't found colonies on the borders of the Terminus Systems, Ambassador.

Asari Councilor: Humanity was well aware of the risks when you went into the Traverse.

Udina: What about Saren? You can't just ignore a rogue Spectre. I demand action!

Turian Councilor: You don't get to make demands of The Council, Ambassador.

Asari Councilor: Citadel security is investigating your charges against Saren. We will discuss the C-Sec findings at the hearing. Not before.

The vidcomm fizzled out and Udina angrily found his way to us.

Udina: Captain Anderson. I see you brought half your crew with you.

Anderson: Just the ground team from Eden Prime. In case you had any questions.

Udina: I have the mission reports. I assume they're accurate?

Anderson: They are. Sounds like you convinced The Council to give us an audience.

Udina: They were not happy about it. Saren's their top agent. They don't like him being accused of treason.

"Well, I'm sorry to break their bubble, but The Council better get on board or we'll be seeing Eden Prime: The Sequel soon enough."

Udina: Settle down, Commander. You've already done more than enough to jeopardize your candidacy for The Spectres.

Nihlus turned to the conversation at this point.

Nihlus: According to who?

Udina almost nervously turned away from Nihlus, trying not to meet his eyes. I should make a note that Nihlus scares people like Udina.

Udina: The mission on Eden Prime was a chance to prove you could get the job done. Instead, Nihlus ended up with a concussion and the beacon was destroyed!

Anderson: That's Saren's fault, not his!

Nihlus: Someone's, at least. Definitely not Shepard's.

Udina: Then we better hope the C-Sec investigation turns up evidence to support our accusations. Otherwise The Council might use this as an excuse to keep you out of The Spectres. Come with me, Nihlus and Anderson. I want to go over a few things before the hearing.

Udina looked to me, scowling.

Udina: Shepard – you and the others can meet us at The Citadel Tower. Top level. I'll make sure you have clearance to get in.

Udina, Nihlus, and Anderson walked out of the room, grumbling about something.

Ashley: And that's why I hate politicians.

~X~

After having a particularly odd conversation with an Elcor and Volus ambassador on the way to the taxi station, we were all a bit reeling from it. The volus got offended because I kept almost laughing at the both of them and the Elcor was confused for a while, but very courteous nonetheless.

Kaidan didn't really do much and Ashley kept giving me dirty looks like I was being rude.

But come on… it's an Elcor. They're like the most hilarious things in the galaxy followed close behind by a successful whoopee cushion prank and me dancing.

Ashley: You know, I can't believe you actually laughed at the elcor in there.

"I've never seen one before, you can't blame me…"

Ashley: I can! And I will.

"Oh whatever."

Kaidan: Hey, you see that?

"Huh?"

We turned to a black shadow running behind some garbage receptacles and quickly moved to it, pulling our heavy pistols out.

"Cover me."

I took the lead, grabbing one of the receptacles and moving it out of the way, holding my gun at the ready-

"Uh…"

Ashley: What is it?

In front of me, I saw a large but young varren of some sort cowering before me. He looked absolutely terrified of us. He didn't look aggressive… just sad.

"A Varren…"

I got down to my knees, looking at it closely as it pushed itself farther into the wall. It looked skinny, like it hadn't eaten in a long time. It didn't have a collar and not many people on the Citadel own varrens anyway… what is it doing here?

The only thing I noticed was a brand of some sort on its shoulder. 54V463. It looked like he was… part of something. Maybe a dog fighting arena or something… Jeez. No wonder it's scared.

The varren began to whimper so I backed away slightly to give it a bit more room. Then I followed its eye to see two men wearing scruffy attire looking around, making their way towards us.

Its owners, I presume.

I stood up and the pair came toward me.

Thug: 'Ey, that's our dog. He ran away, could you get outta the way for a minute, yeah?

"I don't know about that, man. The varren doesn't seem to like you."

I turned to the varren and saw it back away, almost hiding behind me.

Thug: It don't matter what he thinks, he's ours, get outta the way, man.

Kaidan: I don't think we're going to go anywhere. We think you should probably walk away. Now.

Thug: Hah, very funny. Get the hell outta here, man.

The thug who wasn't speaking pulled his pistol out of his holster, gesturing to me with it.

"Is that pea-shooter supposed to impress me?"

Thug: Pea-shooter… what-

I made a move, grabbing the gun quickly and throwing a fist out with the other hand, knocking the gun-toting thug out with one punch.

Thug: Shit! 'Ey, 'ey, we didn't mean nothing by it. I'm just gonna take my friend and-

Before he could finish, Ashley punched him in the temple, knocking him out as well.

"Get C-Sec down here to clean this shit up."

Ashley: Right, will do.

I felt something on my leg and saw the varren looking up at me. He didn't look like he was in a good mood, but he looked a bit more relaxed. His relaxed stance reminded me of my dog.

I had to smile back, taking another glance at his shoulder-brand. 54V463. If you switched some of the numbers around, the brand sort of looked like it spelled out 'Savage'.

Savage. That's a good name.

"Hey Kaidan?"

Kaidan: Yeah?

"Call Joker. We have a new resident coming in. And uh… we'll probably need some food and water. Maybe some dog bowls. Yeah. All that stuff."

~X~

We were sitting in the flying taxi, waiting for it to come into the top level of The Citadel Tower.

Ashley: So we're really going to be taking care of some mutt now?

"I will be. And he's not a mutt. You don't have to do anything, he'll be staying in my quarters and I'll take him for a walk around the ship."

Ashley: Jeez. You must like dogs. Did you ever have one?

I sighed.

"Once in my life, yes."

The taxi came in and dropped us off in front of an elevator. We waved goodbye and paid before heading up the staircase in front of us.

?: Saren's hiding something! Give me more time. Stall them.

And immediately, we came to two turians arguing. One of them seemed to be wearing formal wear with brown plates and white markings. But the other one, with tanned plates and blue markings, wearing blue armor? Instantly recognizable.

Motherfuckin' Garrus Vakarian.

Executor Pallin: Stall the Council? Don't be ridiculous! Your investigation is over, Garrus.

The executor stormed off, annoyed, while Garrus shook his head and walked over upon spotting us.

Garrus: Commander Shepard? Gar-

"Garrus, yes, I know. Hey."

Garrus: What?

Fuck. I did it again. I did this same thing with Ashley too.

"Uh… I heard your name from your boss just now."

Garrus: Oh yeah. Well, I was the C-Sec officer in charge of the C-Sec investigation into Saren.

"Who was that yelling at you?"

Garrus: That was Executor Pallin, head of Citadel Security. My boss. He'll be presenting my findings on Saren to the Council.

"Well. From what I heard, it seems like you're not Saren's biggest fan."

Garrus crossed his arms and sighed in thought.

Garrus: I don't trust him. Something about him rubs me the wrong way. But he's a Spectre; everything he touches is classified. I can't find any hard evidence.

Kaidan: I think the Council's ready for us, Commander.

I heard Kaidan interject and nodded.

Garrus: Ah, well, you don't want to keep the council waiting. Good luck, Shepard. Maybe they'll listen to you.

"Hopefully."

We began to walk up to a place that was similar to me. I received my Star of Terra here. The Petitioner's Stage in The Council Chambers.

Kaidan: You sure have to climb a lot of stairs to reach The Council. Think that's supposed to be symbolic of their importance?

Ashley: I don't know. I bet all these staircases aren't just for show. They make for good defensive positions if this place is ever attacked. Ooo, what are those? Cherry trees?

Kaidan: I like that fountain. Very soothing.

I smiled at their train of thought, continuing to walk up the various staircases until we met up with Anderson.

Anderson: The hearing's already started. Come on.

After one final staircase, we walked into a discussion in progress. Up above us, Saren stood in holographic form, watching us keenly. It was… eerie.

Asari Councilor: The geth attack is a matter of some concern. But there is nothing to indicate Saren was involved in any way.

Turian Councilor: The investigation by Citadel Security turned up no evidence to support your charge of treason.

Ambassador Udina: An eyewitness saw him attack Nihlus in cold blood! Attempt to murder him!

Salarian Councilor: We've read the Eden Prime reports, Ambassador. The testimony of one traumatized dockworker is hardly compelling proof.

Nihlus: I would support the Council's ruling on this. I don't believe it could have been him to do all this.

"But… why would he see someone with the exact description as Saren? Saren doesn't exactly look… like a typical Turian. And he has a huge Geth-like arm. Plus there are more reports of him being on Eden Prime from other survivors. It seems like you're just being a bunch of–"

Anderson: Shepard…

I shut my mouth, but crossed my arms in frustration.

Saren: I resent these accusations. Nihlus is a fellow Spectre. And a friend.

Anderson: That just let you catch him off guard!

Saren: Captain Anderson. You always seem to be involved when humanity makes false charges against me.

"But he was there on the mission, of course he'd be here making these accusations…"

Udina: Shepard, please.

I groaned softly. This was ridiculous.

Saren: And this must be your protégé, Commander Shepard. The one who let the beacon get destroyed.

"You know, that's another thing that's bothering me. The mission was top secret, only on a need-to-know basis. The only way you could have known about the beacon was if you were there."

Saren: When Nihlus was knocked unconscious by the geth, I made a copy of his files to get a grasp on the situation. I read the Eden Prime report. I was unimpressed.

"Hrn… that doesn't seem…"

Saren: But what can you expect from a human?

"Oh shut up."

Udina: Shepard!

Anderson: Shepard, please keep yourself in line.

"Look at him! He obviously hates humans. It makes sense why he'd attack Eden Prime."

Saren: Your species needs to learn its place, Shepard. You're not ready to join The Council. You're not even ready to join the Spectres!

Nihlus: Saren, with respect, that's my call to make. Not yours.

Saren turned to Nihlus with a flash of anger, but calmed down.

Udina: Exactly. He has no right to say any of that! That's not his decision!

Asari Councilor: Shepard's admission into The Spectres is not the purpose of this meeting.

Saren: This meeting has no purpose. The humans are wasting your time, Councilor. And mine.

"Right. Go back hiding behind The Council. That'll show us."

Anderson: There's still one outstanding issue. Commander Shepard's vision. It may have been triggered by the beacon.

Saren: Are we allowing dreams into evidence now? How can I defend my innocence against this kind of testimony?

Turian Councilor: I agree. Our judgment must be based on facts and evidence, not wild imaginings and reckless speculation.

Salarian Councilor: Do you have anything else to add, Commander Shepard?

"What's the point? Just because you don't want to let go of one man, you're letting the thousands of people who died on Eden Prime's deaths go in vain now. But oh, I'm sorry, they're not Salarians or Turians or Asari now are they? So they don't matter. Ugh."

The Turian Councilor turned to The Asari Councilor and shook his head, she nodding in turn.

Asari Councilor: The Council has found no evidence of any connection between Saren and the geth. Ambassador, your petition to have him disbarred from The Spectres is denied.

"Of course it is."

Saren: I'm glad to see justice was served.

Asari Councilor: This meeting is adjourned.

The four of us walked away, defeated by bureaucracy.

~X~

Kaidan and Ashley met up with the three of us, standing behind me as we talked.

Udina: It was a mistake bringing you into that hearing, Captain. You and Saren have too much history. It made The Council question our motives.

"Bullshit. They didn't care if he did it, as long as we don't have evidence, even if he did do it, they will keep him working for them."

Udina: And you. Your petty outbursts didn't help either.

"It didn't seem to hurt our testimony any more."

Anderson: I know Saren. He's working with the geth for one reason: to exterminate the entire human race.

And as he said that, I felt something. Something that told me he was wrong about that. His reasoning is far more dark.

But Nihlus said nothing. He obviously didn't agree, but he knew this was not the time to air out his views. Good. I didn't want to hear them anyway.

Anderson: Every colony we have is at risk. Every world we control is in danger. Even Earth isn't safe.

"How do you know Saren, anyway? Your history?"

Anderson: I worked with him on a mission a long time ago. Things went bad. Real bad. We shouldn't talk about this here. But I know what he's like. And he has to be stopped.

"So… it's up to us, isn't it? It always seems to be."

Udina: As a Spectre, he's virtually untouchable. We need to find some way to expose him.

Kaidan: What about Garrus, that C-Sec investigator? We saw him arguing with the executor.

Ashley: That's right! He was asking for more time to finish his report. Seems like he was close to finding something on Saren.

"That sounds good, actually. Where should we go to find him?"

Udina: I have a contact in C-Sec who can help us track Garrus down. His name is Harkin.

Anderson: Forget it. They suspended Harkin last month for drinking on the job. I won't waste my time with that loser.

Udina: You won't have to. I don't want The Council using your past history with Saren as an excuse to ignore anything we turn up. Shepard will handle this.

Nihlus: You'll stay with us. I'll keep a watch on Anderson in case anything happens. Contact me if you need anything.

"You're cutting him out? You can't do that!"

Anderson: The ambassador's right. I need to step aside.

My shoulders slumped. Right. It's not up to us, I forgot. It's always up to me.

Nihlus: Shall we really go down this path? Going after drunks and insubordinate employees to get some dirt that probably doesn't exist on Saren?

"Yes. We will."

Nihlus shook his head.

Nihlus: Very well.

Udina: I need to take care of some business. Captain, meet me in my office later. You too, Nihlus.

Udina walked off, grumbling.

Anderson: Harkin's probably getting drunk at Chora's Den. It's a dingy little club in the lower section of the wards.

"Anyone else I can talk to?"

Anderson: There is. You should talk to Barla Von. Over in the financial district. Rumor has it he's an agent for The Shadow Broker.

Ashley: The Shadow Broker?

"What she said."

Captain Anderson: An information dealer. Buys and sells secrets to the highest bidder. I've heard Barla Von's one of the top representatives.

"Well, you're another lead I need to follow."

Anderson: Uh… sorry?

"Um… I didn't phrase that the way I wanted to. But uh… you and Saren have a history that I need to know about."

Anderson: About twenty years ago, I was part of a mission in the Skyllian Verge. I was working with Saren to find and remove a known terrorist threat. Saren eliminated his target. But a lot of people died along the way. Innocent people. And the official records just covered it all up. But I saw how he operates. No conscience. No hesitation. He'd kill a thousand innocent civilians to end a war without a second thought.

"Well, if there is one thing I know about war, usually people get pissy and start wars when innocent people get shot. Or stabbed. Or whatever."

Anderson: I know how the world works, Shepard. Sometimes you're forced to make unpleasant decisions. But only if there's no other way. Saren doesn't even look for another option. He's twisted, broken. He likes the violence, the killing. And he knows how to cover his tracks.

Nihlus shook his head.

Nihlus: I don't know about all that.

Anderson: Hm?

Nihlus: I know Saren very well. Better than you, Captain. He took me under his wing in a time when the world had turned its back on me. He taught me a better way. I learned from him and he guided me. He wants the galaxy to be safe, and yeah, maybe he's not the best hero we've got, but he's done more for the people of the galaxy than any of us ever have.

Nihlus crossed his arms.

Nihlus: I've seen his softer side. He's a good turian, but he can be troubled. What you're seeing, Captain, is a desperate person. Maybe even a confused one. Maybe he is broken, but he's not twisted. He always has a plan and he rarely makes mistakes. It's… none of this adds up to me. I said this to Shepard, but if he wanted to kill me, he would have done it. He's killed many men more dangerous than me. If he missed somehow… he has to be off his game. But he's never off his game. I don't get it.

Anderson: I guess we'll find out what really happened soon.

"All right… I should go."

Anderson: Good luck, Shepard. Nihlus and I'll be over in the Ambassador's office if you need anything else.

As Anderson walked away, Nihlus placed a hand on my shoulder.

Nihlus: Shepard… I know how it looks. I do. I'm not stupid or confused. If you do find something that puts him dead to rights, I won't go against you. But… keep your mind open to other perspectives. He may not be the one behind all this. Keep an eye out for anything that could try to be framing him as well as evidence against him. I won't be biased. I've learned not to be.

"Okay, I will. Thank you, Nihlus."

Nihlus: You're a good man, Shepard. I know you'll do the right thing, whether it's getting Saren dead to rights or proving his innocence. Remember, I'm on your communicator if you need anything.

"Of course."

And then Nihlus caught up to Anderson. I turned to Kaidan and Ashley.

"Well… the next thing on our agenda is to talk to a little wheezy rat person and a drunk."

I cracked my knuckles.

"Let's get to it, then."

**To Be Continued…**


	17. Chapter 17: Info Be Dollaz

**Mass Effect: The Requiem Saga: Genesis.  
****Volume 3.  
****Chapter 17.**

After the conversation, we walked down two flights of stairs, and of course, being me, there was something interesting just ahead. A Salarian kneeling next to a Keeper right in the open. Something really didn't seem right about that.

Ashley: That guy's up to something.

Ashley must have felt it too.

Kaidan: What guy?

Ashley: The one over by the keeper.

We walked up right behind him and I crossed my arms. The Salarian spun around, seeing my shadow. I saw his nametag as he straightened himself. Chorban.

Chorban: Oh. No. I wasn't… uh… is there something you want?

"Interested in the keepers, are you?"

Chorban: Keepers? I've got no interest in the kee-

Ashley: Don't get coy. I know what I saw.

Chorban: I… uh. I'm not so sure I should be talking to you about this.

"We're just getting to know each other, aren't we?"

Chorban: No. I guess… it wouldn't hurt to tell you. I'm using a small scanner to gather readings on the keepers. So far I've had mixed results. I find it diggicult to get near the creatures.

"I'm getting the feeling you're not allowed to do that."

Chorban: Well, yes, but I don't really think my scanning disturbs them, but the authorities might disagree. I'd like to do it more openly but it's not really worth getting arrested over.

I thought over it for a moment.

"Well, the authorities don't really bother me too much I could help you out."

Chorban: I don't even know who you are.

"I'm Commander Shepard. I'm with the Alliance and stuff."

Chorban: Hmm. Well, I suppose I could use some help. I'll even send a few credits your way for each unique scan.

"Can I ask though, why are you scanning little spider things?"

Chorban: Trying to learn whatever I can about the keepers. We see them working everywhere yet we know so little about them. I'm a scientist. I want to know what makes them tick.

"All right. I should go, then."

Chorban: Yes. I have much work myself. So long and good luck with the scanning.

We walked away and headed to the transit station.

Kaidan: I'll do the scanning to save you the trouble, Commander.

"Really? Thanks Kaidan."

Kaidan: No problem.

~X~

Arriving in Chora's Den, immediately, something was amiss. We walked into a large rectangular room where the walkway was on the edges of it and saw two Turians apparently waiting for us.

Assassin: That's him!

And immediately, they began to fire at us.

Kaidan: Take cover!

Ashley and Kaidan crouched down into cover, but I was so shocked by the random occurrence that I just stood there.

Ashley: Commander!

And I could see the shots coming towards me. But my instincts shot in and suddenly, I swerved to the left and then spun to the right, dodging all the incoming shots, and then commando rolled into a slide, which led me into cover.

Holy shit. What the hell did I just do?

"Uh…"

Ashley: Um.

Kaidan: Hm.

The assassins began to flank us and I swear I could feel it. I jumped out of cover the moment he began to turn the corner to attack me and grabbed his rifle, sending it back into his face so hard I cracked some of his plates. Then as the other one began to turn the corner to attack us again, I whipped out my pistol and with one hand, took one shot and he was down.

Holy. Fucking. Shit. I…

Oh right, the enhancements. That's… that's what Dr. Chakwas was talking about.

Ashley: Wow, Commander. Been holding out on us.

"I… yep. Totally. Well, let's get going."

The two tentatively follow me into the seedy bar.

Kaidan: Those must have been Saren's men. Huh.

"Yeah. Seems like."

We moved around the circular bar and spotted our contact lying back in a chair, but two Krogans blocked our path. And fucking hell, I knew one of them somehow.

Urdnot fuckin' Wrex.

Krogan Bouncer: Back off, Wrex. Fist told us to take you down if you showed up.

Wrex: What are you waiting for? I'm standing right here. This is Fist's only chance. If he's smart, he'll take it.

Krogan Bouncer: He's not coming out, Wrex. End of story.

Wrex leans in close.

Wrex: This story is just beginning.

Wrex then begins to walk away, but finds us in the way.

Wrex: Out of my way, humans. I have no quarrel with you.

"Right. Yes. Right."

I didn't say his name this time! Yeah!

Kaidan: What was that all about?

Ashley: Who knows? Let's just try not to get caught in the middle.

I feel like we're going to get caught in the middle.

We let him pass and I took a second to look at him before walking up to what we assumed to be our contact, Harkin.

Harkin: Alliance military. Hmph. I coulda been a marine you know. Instead I joined the goddamn Citadel Security. Biggest mistake of my life.

"Hey. I was told to come to you about this. I'm looking for a turian in C-Sec. Dude's name is Garrus."

Harkin: Garrus? Ha! You must be one of Captain Anderson's crew. Poor bastard's still trying to bring Saren down, huh? I know where Garrus is. But you gotta tell me something first. Did the captain let you in on his big secret?

"What? Did he cosplay as Alphonse from Full Metal Alchemist?"

Harkin: Wh-what?

"Nothing. Go on."

Harkin: You're weird for an Alliance Officer. Anyway, the captain used to be a Spectre. Didn't know that, did you? It was all very hush-hush. The first human ever given that honor. And then he blew it. Screwed up his mission so bad they kicked him out. Of course, he blames Saren. Says the turian set him up.

"Considering how much I know of Saren's work, I wouldn't rule it out. So what did Anderson do to get kicked out of the Spectre frat?"

Harkin: Have to ask him. I never heard of any details. But it's a good story though. The hero's fall. Classic tragedy. Ha!

"All right, I'd love to shoot the shit with you, Hark my boy. But I need to know where Garrus is."

Harkin: Garrus was sniffing around Dr. Michel's office. She runs the clinic on the other side of the wards. Last I heard, he was going back there.

"Well, let's blow this joint, guys."

Harkin: Yeah. Good. Go. Let me drink in peace.

I looked at him for a moment as we began to walk away, then stomped back, grabbed the glass of booze right out of his hand, poured it on his head, and dropped it on the ground. Most of the bar turned to me.

Harkin: Agh! Piece of shit!

Kaidan: Uh, Shepard?

I shook my head and walked off, taking a look at an empty seat near a stripper. She even met my eyes.

Ashley: Commander…

Ashley was giving me a dirty look.

Ashley: Let's go.

"Right. Sorry. I uh…"

But she was already walking away.

~X~

We walked by the sign that pointed us into the way of The Financial District. We were on a bridge overlooking a lake of clear water, a Krogan statue, and fountains of water spurting out. It was quite beautiful. I took a second and just leaned on the railing, watching the water fly into the air and fall back down.

Kaidan: It sure is peaceful here.

Ashley: I don't know. This place is a little too perfect. Like they're hiding something. But, to be fair to them, they've built themselves quite the lake. Wonder if anyone ever drowned in it.

"I've never been to a place like this. Really nice here."

I pushed off the railing and quickly stretched my arms out.

"Well, let's go. Barla Von might not be there forever."

As we started to get moving, I overheard a conversation nearby.

Citizen: That's nothing. I've had my office rearranged five times now.

Salarian Citizen: Five times? But why? What do they want?

Citizen: How should I know? It's not like Keepers offer an explanation to what they're doing.

Salarian Citizen: And yet everyone just lets them go on doing whatever it is they do.

Citizen: What choice do we have? If you try to stop them, they just shut down and another one replaces it.

Salarian Citizen: It's just strange that we know so little about them.

Citizen: Not to mention frustrating.

"Hm… maybe our scans could help some people after all."

We made our way through a large district with various shop keeps, Kaidan scanning a few of the keepers as we do so, and found our way into an office with a Volus wearing black and white armor sitting at a desk inside.

Barla Von: What's this? One of the Earth-clan? Ah, a very famous one, yes? You are the one called Shepard.

"That'd be me."

Barla Von: It is a great honor to welcome the Hero of the Blitz.

I nearly flinched at that name. _Hero._ Ugh.

"You seem to have… well, yeah, you seem to know a lot about me. And I don't know anything about you."

Barla Von: Forgive me, Earth-clan. My name is Barla Von. My job makes it necessary for me to keep informed. I am a financial advisor to many important clients on The Citadel. When someone as important as yourself arrives on the station, I take notice.

I feel like he's not telling me the whole story, but I'll wait on that.

"Well, I heard you work for a certain Broker. One of the… uh… shadows? Yeah, sure. I need some info on Saren Arterius. Big turian Spectre man."

Barla Von: You're very blunt, Shepard. But you're right.

"Aw. I thought I was being subtle."

Barla Von: I am an agent for the Shadow Broker. And I do know something about Saren.

"Well, secrets don't come cheap, I've heard."

Barla Von: Normally, this information would cost a small fortune. But these are exceptional circumstances. So I'm going to give it to you for free.

"Hype! Is-wait… nothing's for free. I'm not that stupid."

Ashley: Right, what's the catch?

Barla Von: There is no catch. The Shadow Broker js quite upset with Saren right now. They used to do a lot of business. Until Saren turned on him.

"Saren betraying someone? Heaven forbid."

Barla Von: No matter what you think of Saren, he's not stupid. He knows the Shadow Broker is a valuable ally. Turning on him doesn't make sense. Not unless something huge was at stake.

Little did this rat-robot know, yes, something really fucking huge was at stake.

Barla Von: I don't know the details, but the Shadow Broker hired a freelancer to deal with it. A Krogan Mercenary.

Krogan… Mercenary… wait! Wait! Urdnot Fuckin' Wrex!

"Wrex!"

Barla Von: Huh?

"Uh… uhum. Wrex."

Barla Von: Uh… yes. I believe he's the one. I heard he was paying a visit to Citadel Security. If you hurry you might catch him before he leaves the C-Sec Academy.

"Krogans aren't usually partial to C-Sec-ers. Neither are Mercenaries. Not to my knowledge, anyway."

Barla Von: They're not. However, I doubt the visit was entirely his choice. You'll need to speak with him if you want to know more.

"That makes more sense. But could you give me some other information?"

Barla Von: It all depends.

"What about The Shadow Broker? What do you know about him?"

Barla Von: Most people think I deal in finances, but my real currency is knowledge. I trade information and it has made me very wealthy. But The Shadow Broker is the true master. Ever day, he buys and sells secrets that could topple governments, always giving them to the highest bidder. Yet somehow he never seems to upset the natural balance of power. All those secrets being passed around seem to even out. Nobody ends up with an advantage at the end.

"I'm guessing he doesn't give people a whole lot of insight to who he is."

Barla Von: I don't know who he is. Nobody does. The Shadow Broker could be any race, any gender. I have a theory that it's actually an entire group working under one identity.

A feeling of… not exactly, déjà vu, but something else tells me he's wrong.

Barla Von: How else could they juggle so many contracts at the same time? How else could they keep all that information from getting crossed? But they've got the perfect setup. Every government is forced to play their game so they don't get behind. But no matter how long you play, no matter how many secrets you buy, you can never win.

"So the person you work for is… Nebulous-Man? Seems oddly ambiguous coming from his employee."

Barla Von: From time to time, I come across information I sell to The Shadow Broker. That's my only involvement. I like it that way. The more you know, the more dangerous the game becomes. I don't like danger, Commander. I'll leave that to you.

Yeah. It's always up to us to put a bullet in the bad guy's head, it seems.

"Well, speaking of danger, I have a krogan I need to speak to. So I should go."

Barla Von: Goodbye, Commander.

We walked out of the office and began to get ready to hail a taxi.

"Well, we've got a detective bird and a giant frog to speak to. Fun."

**To Be Continued…**


	18. Chapter 18: Two Best Alien Friends

**Mass Effect: The Requiem Saga: Genesis.  
****Volume 3.  
****Chapter 18.**

_Somewhere on The Citadel…_

An armored man is checking through his equipment in his apartment, a monitor display giving light to the room.

Saren: The payment has gone through. The contract has been paid.

And a familiar voice is present as well.

Saren: I assume everything is in order now.

The mercenary, or possibly an assassin or bounty hunter of some sort, doesn't answer. He just finishes checking through his equipment.

Saren: I assume your silence is a yes. Good. I hope to hear from you soon, Spartan, when you have sent Shepard's head in a box to me.

The person codenamed Spartan replies in a deep modulated voice, hiding his identity.

Spartan: You will.

The call is cut off and Spartan begins to strap his weapons onto his back.

~X~

After getting off at the Chora's Den transit station, we were walking up the stairs to get to the upper level of The Wards to get to the Med Clinic.

Ashley: We could have just taken the taxi straight to The Med Clinic…

"Look, when you're paying for the taxi, you can give me shit about this."

Ashley: You're not paying at all!

"I-"

Blonde Man: Is that really… wow! It's you!

We turned to see a blonde man with a goatee watching one of us from afar, saying something loud enough for us to notice. So we made our way over to him, a decent enough excuse to cut the conversation off there.

Blonde Man: You're Commander Shepard, the hero of Eden Prime! I am so honored to meet you!

I would have flinched at the word 'hero' to describe me, but I was busy reeling from the realization that I am actually speaking to a fan of mine! A fan of mine! Imagine that. Someone actually gave a shit about me.

"Oh, it's my pleasure. Who might you be?"

Conrad Verner: My name is Conrad. Conrad Verner. They say you killed more than a hundred geth on Eden Prime.

Was it that many…? I don't actually remember. I don't think so.

"I didn't really keep track to be perfectly honest. More worried about colonists and all that shit, you know."

Ignoring me, he kind of looked like a bulb lit up above his head.

Conrad Verner: Hey, I know you're probably busy, but do you have time for a quick autograph?

Conrad handed me a piece of memorabilia and a pen that he must have conveniently had on him. I quickly wrote my signature, but almost wrote my previous surname before coming to this new place. But I was able to hamfist 'Shepard' into there.

"Anything for a fan."

I handed it back to him.

Conrad Verner: Thanks. I really appreciate it. My wife is going to be so impressed! I'll let you get back to work, but next time you're on Earth, I'd love to buy you a drink! Thanks again!

Conrad walked off and I shrugged at my team, having a bit of a smug grin on my face. Who could blame me? I just met an actual fan of mine.

We began to walk away and I knew that this was what seemed to be a marketplace. It was smaller than I'd imagine, but it was still bustling.

Turian Merchant: I don't think you bought this here. I don't sell this model.

Human Customer: Look, I know it was you. I remember your face.

Turian Merchant: Really? That's impressive. Usually you humans can't tell one turian from another.

Human Customer: This was the place. Now are you going to give me a refund or not?

Turian Merchant: Do you have your proof of purchase?

Human Customer: What! No, I– I don't think you ever gave me one.

Turian Merchant: I'm sorry, then. I can't help you.

Human Customer: But–

Turian Merchant: Can't help you.

I got a few steps away before I started laughing to myself.

The squad turned a corner and headed through a door, but that was pretty much it before someone else stopped me.

Emily Wong: Commander Shepard? Excuse me, Commander Shepard!

Ashley made an audible sigh, but I walked over. Maybe another fan?

Emily Wong: I'm Emily Wong. I'm an investigative journalist working here on The Citadel. Could I have a moment of your time?

Okay, not another fan.

"Sure."

Emily Wong: I've been hunting evidence of corruption and organized crime on The Citadel, but there are places I can't go. I was hoping you share anything you find during your own investigation. I can make it worth your time.

"Wait, hold up, how do you know I'm investigating some shit?"

Emily Wong: I'm a good journalist, Commander Shepard. Word gets around.

"That doesn't answer my question. And it seems like you're assuming a lot of things. Like my investigation is linked to yours. And that it'll uncover anything you need."

Emily Wong: You wouldn't be investigating if it weren't big. And if it's big, it's something I'd like to hear about.

"Ah. So you just want to know anything I find in general. Hrm. I'm not exactly a great source of information, to be honest, I usually get information from other people. So… why me?"

Emily Wong: I'm using every source I can find, but I think I've got a better shot with you. I've read your file. If anyone is going to uncover corruption here, it's the Hero of The Skyllian Blitz.

That word again. Stop using it.

"Don't try and use your charm on me. I know what this is. I'm just another source to you."

Emily Wong: Hm?

Kaidan: Shepard?

"…Nothing. Well, I don't know what use I could be or what information you'd need exactly, but, if I find anything that might be useful, I'll let you know."

Emily Wong: Thank you, Commander. You won't regret it.

Emily goes off, taking another call from someone immediately. Woofh. Wonder how it's like being that busy-

Oh wait. Right. Gotta uncover evidence on Saren. Trying to save humanity and all that.

So I am that busy. Hm. Well, I guess it's time to stop fucking around.

Going through a corridor, a sign pops up that reads 'Med Clinic' and points right towards a door next to it. Kaidan and I being a bit lazy, Ashley opens the door for us, but we don't really have the opportunity to be lazy as we hear sobbing and a cry coming from the room.

Dr. Chloe Michel: I didn't tell anyone. I swear!

The scene unfolds before me and I take a moment to assess it. We just walked in on a potentially dangerous situation. The turian we met before that I somehow knew the name of, Garrus Vakarian, is taking cover behind a wall, where five men are surrounding a female doctor whose nametag reads Dr. Chloe Michel.

Thug: That was smart, Doc. Now, if Garrus comes around, you stay smart. Keep your mouth shut or we'll–

The thug peered over Dr. Michel's shoulder, seeing us rush into the room, and immediately grabs her around the neck, leveling his pistol.

Thug: Who are you?

Well. Shit.

I whipped out and leveled my own heavy pistol at the three men as Kaidan and Ashley take cover.

"The mailman, motherfucker. I got five bullets I'm going to be delivering to your heads."

That was a lame line. Oh Jesus Christ. Shame on me.

But, the line was lame enough that it gave Garrus time to turn the corner, unloading his pistol at the thugs holding her hostage. He takes the one holding the good doctor out.

Dr. Chloe Michel: Ahh!

Garrus and the remaining four criminals stood off with all of their guns readied.

All four of us began to fire at the other four at once, suppressing them and taking one out. Three remained.

Ashley: Hnh!

Ashley took a precise shot from the edge of the wall, taking a second man out. However the remaining two began to fire back, causing us to get into cover and stay in cover. I looked at the situation. Two men hiding behind waist high cover connected to pillars. I think I can deal with this.

"Ashley! Grenade to the crate!"

Ashley: That won't kill th-

"Do it!"

Ashley is hesitant, but complies, throwing a grenade from cover to the crate one of them was hiding behind, blowing it up. The two criminals stopped firing for a moment to take cover.

Kaidan: Commander?

"Cover me!"

I ran out of cover and sprinted forward, holding no weapon in my hand. I got to the one hiding in waist high cover just as he was getting up, grabbing his forearms holding his rifle and pulling them around the column. The other guy closed in on me, about to fire, but I vaulted over the waist-high cover, still holding the forearms as the other guy takes fire, hitting and killing his friend instead of me.

Criminal: Oh shit! Mark, ar-

I pushed the forearms away from me, startling the remaining criminal enough for Garrus, who was already approaching, to disarm the criminal and shoot him with his own pistol.

Garrus: Perfect timing, Shepard. Gave me a clear shot at that bastard.

"All in a day's work."

Garrus: Dr. Michel? Are you hurt?

Dr. Chloe Michel: No. I'm okay. Thanks to you. All of you.

"I'm not really the authority here, that would be Garrus, but I bet if you can tell us who these guys work for, we can give you protection."

Dr. Chloe Michel: They work for Fist.

Fist?

The image of Wrex talking with the other Krogan flashes through my mind.

_Krogan Bouncer: Back off, Wrex. Fist told us to take you down if you showed up._

_Wrex: What are you waiting for? I'm standing right here. This is Fist's only chance. If he's smart, he'll take it._

_Krogan Bouncer: He's not coming out, Wrex. End of story._

_Wrex leans in close._

_Wrex: This story is just beginning._

Dr. Chloe Michel: They wanted to shut me up. Keep me from telling Garrus about the quarian.

The Quarian? I… I know what she's talking about. I think I even know who somehow. I don't get it… but I know. I can't put my finger on the name of who it is though… Dammit.

Dr. Chloe Michel: A few days ago, a quarian came by my office. She'd been shot, but she wouldn't tell me who did it. I could tell she was scared, probably on the run. She asked me about The Shadow Broker. She wanted to trade information in exchange for a safe place to hide.

My stomach began to tighten. This girl… I feel like… I've never heard of her before, but I know her well somehow. And this… this is a really fucking bad piece of news I'm hearing.

"Where!? Where is she!?"

The whole group was slightly taken aback by my outburst.

Dr. Chloe Michel: I… I put her in contact with Fist. He's an agent for The Shadow Broker.

Garrus: Not anymore. Now he works for Saren , and The Shadow Broker isn't too happy about it.

Dr. Chloe Michel: Fist betrayed The Shadow Broker? That's stupid, even for him. Saren must have made him quite the offer.

Garrus: That quarian must have something Saren wants. Something worth crossing The Shadow Broker to get.

My mind kept drifting to the quarian. A hazy image of a familiar person I've never seen keeps appearing in my mind.

"The quarian. What else about her?"

Dr. Chloe Michel: I'm not sure. Like I said, she wanted to trade information for a place to hide. She didn't… wait a minute! Geth. Her information had something to do with the geth!

Oh shit.

Garrus: She must be able to link Saren to the geth. There's no way The Council can ignore this!

Good. Gives me an excuse to find out who the hell this quarian is.

"Well, let's go pay Fist a little visit then."

Garrus: This is your show, Shepard. But I want to bring Saren down as much as you do. I'm coming with you!

I feel like this was supposed to happen.

"But you're brothers in bird faces. Why do you hate him so much?"

Garrus: I couldn't find the proof I needed in my investigation. But I knew what was really going on. Saren's a traitor to The Council, and a disgrace to my people!

"Well. Glad to have you aboard The Shit-Train."

Garrus: You know, we aren't the only ones going after Fist. The Shadow Broker hired a Krogan Bounty Hunter named Wrex to take him out.

Ashley: Yeah, we saw him in the bar.

"A Krogan could be handy in a situation like this. A walking tank in humanoid form."

Garrus: Last I heard, he was at The C-Sec Academy.

Kaidan: What's he doing there?

Garrus: Fist accused him of making threats. We brought Wrex in for a little talk. If you hurry, you can catch him at the academy before he leaves.

I nodded.

"Let's all head there n-"

Ashley: Wait, Commander, one of us has to leave the squadron. Teams of three are Council convention on away missions.

"Hrhm… which o-"

Kaidan: I'll go, Commander. I have to scan The Keepers anyhow, right? I can continue doing that and when we all meet up, we can talk to The Salarian Scientist that gave us the mission in the first place.

"Right. Good idea. We'll see you then, Kaidan."

Ashley: When you get Wrex, take him with you. Then I'll find Kaidan and I'll help him scan.

"All right, sounds good."

We left Kaidan to it and hurried downstairs to the C-Sec Academy when a man stopped us in our tracks. His nametag read Officer Lang.

Officer Lang: Hey, I know you. You're Shepard, right?

"Yeah, that's me."

Officer Lang: I was on Mindoir during The Blitz. Saw you on the vids when you got your medal. You saved the whole colony!

Ashley: Looks like you have another fan.

Officer Lang: I'm sorry. I've just never met someone like you in person. My name's Lang. Officer Eddie Lang, Citadel Security. It's an honor to meet you, Commander. What are you doing down here in the wards? Anything I can help you with?

I smiled at him. Well, I guess I can make a little bit of time.

"So you work here on The Citadel? How do you like it?"

Officer Lang: This place is amazing! I've been here almost a year and I still haven't seen a tenth of it. The Presidium's just so beautiful. Good place to go and relax. But I really like it here down in the wards. There's always something going on somewhere. Like that new club they just opened a few months ago, Flux. Wicked scene in there, Commander. You should check it out when you have some time.

"Heh. I don't really dance or club, but I might stop by. Thanks. But you work in C-Sec right? How do you like it?"

Officer Lang: I don't know. Seemed like the right thing to do, you know? Maybe it's in my blood. My grandfather was a cop back on Earth. It's kind of what C-Sec is. Police for the Citadel. I'm still pretty new at it, but I like it so far. Way more interesting than staying back on Earth. You get to meet all kinds of new aliens. Like those hanar. Wild. Plus, C-Sec gets a lot of respect here. We uphold the law. People, even aliens, appreciate that.

Ashley grabs my shoulder.

Ashley: Commander, we have to go. Now.

"Right. Sorry. It was nice speaking with you, Officer Lang. I should go, but maybe I'll see you again soon."

Officer Lang: Right. You look like you're real busy. Well, see you around, Commander.

After a quick goodbye, we ran through the door next to Officer Lang and rushed to C-Sec Academy.

Maybe I needed that talk. Just one with a nice person. One that isn't an alien that I've never seen in person before or a criminal or a political figure of some sort. Just a normal person to let me know that yeah, this is reality. Take it or leave it, I guess.

Is there even a way to go back to my world? My… dimension, I guess? Timeline? If my time created a way to go back, maybe there's a way now…

But do I even want to go back? I… I don't know. Life is peaceful back where I'm from but… I… hm…

Garrus: Commander?

"Hm?"

Garrus: You still with us? We're about there.

"Yeah. Sorry."

I'll think about it.

But we were already in the main plaza of C-Sec Academy, where several officers were surrounding the huge Urdnot Wrex.

C-Sec Officer: Witnesses saw you making threats in Fist's bar. Stay away from him.

Wrex: I don't take orders from you.

C-Sec Officer: This is your only warning, Wrex.

Wrex: You should warn Fist. I will kill him.

Not a great negotiator, I see. Eh. I'll work around it.

C-Sec Officer: You want me to arrest you?

Wrex: I want you to try.

But a huge badass. That I can work with.

Wrex catches my eyes and pushes his way past the C-Sec Officer.

C-Sec Officer: Go on. Get out of here.

Wrex: Do I know you, human?

"My name's Sam Shepard. I'm going after Fist. Thought you might want to come along."

Wrex: Shepard? Commander Shepard? I've heard a lot about you. We're both warriors, Shepard. Out of respect, I'll give you fair warning. I'm going to kill Fist.

He leaned in close to me, as if to challenge me to his right to kill him. But before I could even say anything, Garrus interjected.

Garrus: Fist knows you're coming. We'll have a better chance if we all work together.

Wrex: My people have a saying: Seek the enemy of your enemy, and you will find a friend.

"Something tells me we're going to get along just fine, my friend."

We both shake hands.

Wrex: Let's go. I hate to keep Fist waiting.

Ashley: And that's my cue. I'll head out to help Kaidan, you three give Fist an extra bullet for me.

"Right. See you."

Ashley runs off.

"Well, you heard the girl."

We head on our way to the elevator to get out of the C-Sec Academy.

"Let's go get ourselves a scumbag."

**To Be Continued…**


	19. Chapter 19: The Girl That Changes It All

**Mass Effect: The Requiem Saga: Genesis.  
Volume 3.  
Chapter 19.**

"Let's go get ourselves a scumbag."

Garrus: Actually, one moment, please. I'd like to stock up on my weapons before leaving. Is that okay?

You totally ruined the cool line.

"Sure. We'll wait around here."

Wrex: Be quick about it.

Garrus jogs off and Wrex and I take a short walk around.

Wrex: Hrm… C-Sec is confusing.

"Why's that?"

Wrex: They're a police force with regulations. I say, if you're going to police a station filled with criminals and politics, I guess they're the same thing, you need to crack down without the idea of yellow tape blocking your way.

"That's dangerous thinking, Wrex. That could-"

C-Sec Officer: Okay, Jahleed. Let me get this straight. Your business partner… Chorban. He's threatened you?

Hm? Chorban? The Salarian Scientist…?

Jahleed: Well, no, not exactly. But he wants to meet with me. I think he's going to kill me.

I turned my attention to a Volus speaking to a C-Sec Officer in the room we're in.

C-Sec Officer: And why do you think that?

Jahleed: I– I can't really get into the details. But Chorban will kill me if I leave here unprotected.

C-Sec Officer: I can't help you. Not unless you give me something more to go on.

Jahleed: I– I can't. I'm sorry.

It was then that I stepped in along with Wrex, The C-Sec Officer walking off.

Jahleed: Hey there– oh. You're not C-Sec, are you? Did you want something?

"I heard you speaking about a man named Chorban. I think I know him. What's the problem, maybe I can help?"

Jahleed: My colleague is trying to kill me. And I thought we were friends.

I had to refrain from smiling. He sounded so serious while saying that.

"Uh… well, how do you know that?"

Jahleed: He's changed. He won't talk to me at work anymore, and… he started following me. Yesterday, he followed me all the way home. Just waiting for a chance. I don't care what anyone thinks; he wants me gone. I know it.

Sounds like a lover's spat.

"Well… if what you're saying is true, I can go talk to him. I know him personally."

Jahleed: Would you? That's all I want: someone to talk to him. Tell him to leave me alone. He thinks he can just push me around, but you'll show him, won't you?

"I'll give it a shot. Where is he?"

Jahleed: Oh, right. Well, he wanted to meet with me in the wards, near the markets. He said he just wanted to talk, but I know better. It seems you know him. You shouldn't have any trouble. He's just a scientist.

"I do know him. He wanted us to scan the keepers."

Jahleed: The keepers? Well… even more reason to go after him. That's against regulations.

"All right. We'll stop by there."

Jahleed: Anything's possible with Chorban these days. Well, good luck.

After walking out into the lobby, Garrus rejoined the group and I informed him on the situation.

"Do you guys mind if we stop by there first?"

Wrex: No.

Garrus: No, I think we should stop there. Should we inform your friends to stop their scanning?

"Not right now, once we figure out what exactly is going on, then we can give them a call. Just send them a message to standby for news on the scans."

Garrus: Roger. Let's go.

The three of us stepped onto the elevator and as we did, Garrus tried to make conversation.

Garrus: So, what do you guys know about their security?

Wrex: Few bodyguards. A Krogan. 'Bout it.

Garrus: Is that going to be a problem?

Wrex: As long as you don't miss, don't think so.

Garrus: No I mean… I guess I'm just surprised that you're willing to kill your own, Wrex. Aren't the Krogan just a few generations away from extinction?

Wrex: You don't get it. For all your talk of honor and pride, the turians never had to test their principles in a real struggle. Anyone who fights us is either stupid or on Saren's payroll. Killing the latter is business. Killing the former is a favor to the universe.

Garrus didn't respond to that as we jumped off the elevator.

~X~

Down in Wards Access, we walked straight up to a large group of Salarians, headed up by the Salarian Scientist known as Chorban.

Chorban: Commander. I wasn't expecting to see you again. Is there something you want?

"The truth. And trust me, I can handle it."

Chorban: Uh… I'm not sure what you're referring to. My experiments are…

Garrus: We're not buying it. Jahleed told us you've been after him.

Chorban: You… spoke with Jahleed? Then you know about the data?

"Well. I didn't. But now, you're going to tell me everything about this data. Got that?"

Chorban looks back at his guards.

Chorban: You boys can go.

They filed out.

Chorban: Looks like my plans have changed. It's not as bad as you think, Commander. Jahleed and I just got a little… over our heads.

"And?"

Chorban: The company we work for developed an experimental procedure to use in medical scanners. Jahleed and I saw even more potential. So we stole the plans and secretly developed a tool to scan the keepers. Can you imagine? A tool that can actually get readings from the keepers?

"That's all good and well, but why is that over your heads?"

Chorban: The keepers are almost impossible to scan, and you can't capture them or get samples. They just self-destruct. After centuries here, we still don't know anything about them. Don't you see? We were the first to scan them. Ever! You've seen it yourself, Commander. You know we can do it.

"That's impressive, I'll admit. But that doesn't connect with why you want to murder your little volus friend. Your partner, no less."

Chorban: I'm not trying to kill him. Jahleed's job was to disseminate our initial findings. But… he decided to keep the data for himself. Maybe to sell it. I don't know.

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose at that.

Chorban: We lost our heads. We just couldn't let an opportunity like this pass us by. Commander. If you'll just continue gathering data for me… imagine what we might learn. And you'll stand to make a little profit yourself.

I thought about this for a moment. This… wasn't a cut and dry sort of thing. No black and white here. Sure, it wasn't a huge moral crisis, but it was still a question or morals.

We might learn a lot from these things… and I don't trust them. And some money on the side… So… maybe…

"Well… fine. We'll continue to scan them. It can't hurt, right?"

None of my teammates objected to this.

Chorban: Very good. Maybe if you wouldn't mind speaking with Jahleed. The data you're gathering for me is useless if Jahleed won't help me analyze it.

"We're a bit busy… but we'll stop by."

Chorban: Thank you, and happy scanning, Commander.

Chorban walked away.

~X~

I, alone, approached Jahleed. The other two decided to stay in the markets and prepare to assault Chora's Den while I talked with the volus.

Jahleed: Hello again. Did you have any luck finding Chorban?

"Cut the shit. You've been lying to me, Jahleed. I don't like being lied to."

Jahleed: Lying? Why would I lie to you?

"Did you not hear me? Cut. The. Shit. That data about the keepers that you didn't mention."

Jahleed: Uh, he told you? I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I was afraid Chorban would kill me to get the data, so I… well I was hoping you'd take care of him.

I ground my teeth together. This little rat thing was starting to piss me off. I had things to do.

"You wanted me to kill him? Gah. Piece of shit. No, I didn't kill him. I'm scanning the keepers for Chorban."

Jahleed: You're… you're helping us? But… well, if you say so. Well, if Chorban can forgive and forget, then so can I. I appreciate the help, Commander. I better go get that data analyzed.

I want to shoot you.

~X~

I returned quickly to the two by using the transit station. They were waiting right next to the market transit terminal.

"You guys ready?"

The two nodded and I drew out my assault rifle.

"Then let's go fuck some shit up. Come on"

We went through the walkway before Garrus realized something.

Garrus: Ah, looks like it's shut down.

Wrex: Fist knows we're coming.

As the door opened for us, we approached a small army of bodyguards.

Bodyguard: Look out!

The bartender was the first to shoot, but I shot faster, taking him out first.

And then everyone at once began to fire. I slid into the bar counter as cover, the other two using the tables and walls.

"Kill these bastards!"

I popped out of cover and rushed down the right side of the bar, taking two of the criminals out immediately with quick bursts from my Avenger. And then, a shotgun blast struck the wall beside me, causing me to scramble back to cover.

Krogan Bouncer: You brought friends, Wrex? Hah!

Shotgun buckshots came at me relentlessly as I crawled my way out of the line of fire.

Krogan Bouncer: Fuckin' faulty… gr…

The krogan started fiddling with his shotgun.

My chance!

I rolled out of cover and threw out my omni-blade, shooting to my feet and swinging the blade right into his torso.

Krogan Bouncer: Grnt…

The Krogan Bouncer spat out a bit of blood to the side and then grabbed my neck, throwing me against the wall.

Krogan Bouncer: Puny little shit.

He began to close his grip tighter and tighter on my throat. I tried to rip his hand off of me with the one not holding the blade, but I wasn't able.

Wrex: Shepard! Brace!

Krogan Bouncer: Wre-

Wrex: Raaaaghhh!

Wrex charged in full force against the krogan, throwing his body into the air. A staple move of the krogans of old. I fell to the ground, retracting my omni-blade, trying to catch my breath.

Wrex: You okay?

"Hhhnh… hhh… y-yeah…"

Wrex: Then get up. We got work to do.

I nodded and pushed myself to my feet, holding my assault rifle at the ready as Garrus and Wrex finished off the last of the thugs in the bar.

Garrus: Wait!

As Wrex and I approached the corridor leading to Fist's office, we stopped at Garrus' command, and a barrage of bullets shot out.

"Fuck. Thanks!"

Garrus didn't respond, he just slowly set his sniper rifle down on the bar counter and aimed.

Garrus: Hm…

He presses down on the trigger and a shot rings off, causing the canister of fire-suppression liquid to explode, killing the two thugs inside the corridor.

Garrus: Let's go.

"Right."

We rushed in and went through the door to find a few workers there. One of them clumsily pulled his pistol out and aimed it at us, prompting the others to do the same.

Warehouse Worker: Stop right there! Don't come any closer.

Garrus: Warehouse workers. All the real guards must be dead.

I knew they were just civilians needing to pay their salary.

Warehouse Worker: Stay back or we'll shoot!

But they were scared as well. And trying to appeal to them might not work and could slow us down. Maybe injure one of us. And they are working for a criminal willingly. You're not on Omega, you have choices.

"See that krogan there? I killed him with my bare hands. What do you think is going to happen if we get into a fight?"

Warehouse Worker: Uh… well… uh…

The other warehouse worker sighed and put his gun away.

Warehouse Worker: Aw, screw Fist. He doesn't pay us enough for this.

They scurried away and we made sure everything was in order before continuing on.

Wrex: It would've been quicker to just kill them.

Garrus: Shooting people isn't always the answer.

Wrex: Are you sure? It solves most of my problems.

I chuckled as we ran into Fist's office, where he waiting for us. He got his assault rifle ready.

Fist: Why do I have to do everything myself? Time to die, little soldiers!

Two defensive turrets activate and begin to fire.

Garrus: Go go go!

We jumped into cover behind his desk. Wrex and Garrus, on either side of me, preoccupy the turrets with their own gunfire.

Leaving Fist ripe for the taking.

I rolled back and, before anything could take a shot at me, I burst forward and hopped onto the desk, leaping off and tackling Fist into the wall.

Fist: Gah!

I rained down my own fists onto his face and body as Wrex used his biotics to slam both turrets together, destroying them. As they joined me, I backed off from the now bloody Fist, pulling out my pistol.

Fist: Wait! Don't kill me! I surrender!

I kneeled down in front of him, shoving the barrel into his kneecap.

"The quarian. Where?"

Fist: She's not here. I don't know where she is! That's the truth!

Wrex: He's no use to you now. Let me kill him.

Fist: Wait! Wait! I don't know where the quarian is! I swear!

I angrily pulled the trigger, shooting his kneecap.

Fist: AAAAAGHHH! FUCK! FUCKING SHIT!

Garrus: Shit, Commander…

"Where?"

Fist: I… I… ag-agh… sh-she isn't here… said she'd o-only deal with The Shadow Broker himself…

Wrex: Face to face? Impossible! Even I was hired through an agent.

I put the barrel to his other kneecap.

Fist backed up against the wall, my pistol still keeping with his other kneecap as he did.

Fist: Nnh… Nobody meets The Shadow Broker. E-Ever. Even I don't know his true identity. Kah… shit… But she didn't know that. I told her I'd set a meeting up. But when sh-sh… shit… she shows up, it'll be Saren's men waiting for her…

I immediately pulled the trigger.

Fist: AAAAAHHHHH! AAGH! NAAAH! N-NO! AGH!

I slammed his head against the wall to shut him up and then leveled the pistol with him.

"Next one is going in your head. Where is the fucking meeting?"

Fist: H-Here on the wards… oh god s-so much… The back alley by the markets. She's…ss… suppo-supposed to meet them there right now. You can make it there if you hurry…

"Hm. Garrus, put some medigel on him. And call C-Sec, I-"

I stood up to leave, but Wrex pulled his shotgun out and shot Fist in the head, blowing most of it away.

Garrus: What are you doing?!

Wrex: The Shadow Broker paid me to kill him. I don't leave jobs half done.

I turned right in Wrex's face.

"You don't do that again, you understand me?!"

Wrex: How many people died because of him? He brought this on himself. Besides, we have more pressing concerns.

Garrus: That quarian's dead if we don't go now!

My stomach twisted again. I know I don't know her but… I can't have that happen. For some reason, I won't let it go down that way.

"Let's go! Now!"

The three of us ran out of the office, me at the helm, but as we got out of the corridor, an ambush awaited us.

"Shit!"

A guy span around the corner to attack me, but I slid down and grabbed his legs, taking him down quickly. I grabbed his gun from his hand and shot one of the thugs and slammed the gun down on his head, leaving it there.

"Take them out!"

Wrex and Garrus mowed down the rest as I made my way to the door by myself.

"Take every one of these guys out! I'll meet you both there!"

Garrus: Shepard, wai-

I sprinted on ahead, through the walkway and transit station and right up the stairs into a red room, then up another flight of stairs, and that's where I saw the meeting, with one of Saren's assassins blocking the view of the quarian.

Assassin: Did you bring it?

Quarian: Where's The Shadow Broker? Where's Fist?

I know that voice. Holy shit. I know that voice.

The assassin began to run his hands down her suit, trying to find anything on her.

Assassin: They'll be here. Where's the evidence?

The quarian slaps the hands of the assassin away.

Quarian: No way. The deal's off.

I know that attitude. I know her.

But just then, several of the salarian mercenaries held their guns up, approaching her slowly.

"Hey! Tali! Look out!"

The quarian named Tali'Zorah nar Rayya looked at me and then turned around, seeing the salarians coming up behind her. She throws some sort of device, causing a small explosion to distract them as she runs away.

Tali jumps behind cover and pulls out her pistol, taking her shots as I run down the staircase, firing away at them as I do so.

"Keep firing! Don't stop!"

The two of us shoot at Saren's men, but one of them sneaks up on us and grabs Tali over the barricade, pulling out his omni-blade.

"NO!"

I finish up the last guy I can see in the room and run over to Tali, using my newly enhanced speed and strength (slightly but whatever) to pull back and release a tremendous punch with my right hand, planting his face against the wall and holding it there. I think I might have killed him on impact.

"Hrnh…"

Tali: Keelah… how-

**KRA-KOW!**

Guh…

I took my hand away from the assassin's head and touched my side, pulling my hand back up to see blood on my glove.

Oh… God…

"Hngh…"

Wrex and Garrus run into the room to survey the scene and look across to see a person in armor holding a sniper rifle. He reloads his sniper rifle and puts it on his back. The person's codename is Spartan, a mercenary employed by Saren.

Spartan: One down.

Spartan aims his rifle at Tali'Zorah next, but I see it coming.

"Get down!"

I take the crate she's hiding behind and pull it up and push it into her, throwing her to the ground and blocking her in the corner.

**KRA-KOW!**

"Gakh…"

Another bullet. This time in my shoulder.

I fall to my knees on the crate.

"S-stay…"

I whispered to Tali.

Garrus: Oh god no. Commander! W-

Spartan then presses a detonator on his bracer.

**BOOOOOMHHH!**

The walls explode in, Garrus and Wrex jump back onto the stairwell to not get hit while I'm blown away. I don't think… oh god… I don't think she got hurt.

I fall onto the floor and lay there for what seems like an eternity, probably only about five to ten seconds, but that feeling is cut off when I am hoisted onto the mercenary's shoulders.

Spartan: Spartan incoming. Target acquired.

S-Spartan…?

I can't think of anything other than that word as I'm brought out of the alleyway and shoved into some vehicle. The world goes black very quickly.

Oh… well. This has gone to shit.

And then I fall unconscious.

**To Be Continued…**


End file.
